Freecss Twins
by Kalsypher
Summary: I'm taking the Hunter Exam to find my twin, Gon Freecss. Only...now that I've found him...I don't have the heart to tell him. He's looking for our father, Ging, so I'm going to help because I want to meet him as well and find out why he separated us because our mother wouldn't tell us. And hopefully along the way, I'll tell Gon the truth. Killua x OC
1. Trick Tower

I looked around the flat surface of Trick Tower. Strands of my red-violet hair were blowing in the crisp morning wind. We hadn't landed at 8 in the morning like Chairman Netero had said, instead we had landed around 10:45. Though, it was later, the tall tower still had a crisp breeze from its height. And having seen the man get eaten by the strange beasts with human-like faces that flew from the surrounding forests, climbing down this tower was not an option.

72 hours was our limit. That much was certain. As my copper eyes scanned the flat area, I noticed other participants had disappeared. That was strange. So, there was a way down. I searched for hours, trying to figure it out, but I saw no definite pattern in the shapes of the stones. Trick Tower truly was a puzzle.

While I was examining a tile, my feet suddenly gave way and I screamed while someone yelled with me. I landed lightly on my feet and looked around the room. I had no idea who any of these people were, except for Tonpa. He had introduced himself when I walked in and offered me a drink. There was a boy with black hair, a boy with silver hair, a teen with blonde hair, and a tall guy with black hair and tiny sunglasses.

Tonpa stood up and rubbed the back of his head, "Good grief."

"Tonpa!" The black haired boy exclaimed.

"Oh," the silver haired boy next to him said, not exactly thrilled to see him.

In fact, none of them were.

"It's the old man," the tallest of the four said dully. But his attention quickly turned to me, "And a girl? Just who are you?"

"I'm Holly," I said with a slight blush forming on my face as I took a step away from the group. "Hi."

"So, you've managed to beat the Path of Majority Rules," a voice said over the intercom. "One of you must take into account what the last member decides to do, since there are six of you and five watches."

I walked to the sign, "Majority rules, huh? That's exciting."

I picked up the watch and looked at it. It had the countdown with an X and O button.

"Hey!" Tonpa yelled. "You can't just decide if you get the last watch or not!"

I tossed the watch to Tonpa, "I didn't want the watch. I can't make decisions under pressure."

The tall one groaned, "Great. We'll have him voting against us the entire time."

"No," I said while leaning against the wall. "Just because I don't have a watch doesn't mean I don't get a say in a vote. Tonpa and I fell in together. He has to listen to my argument and better have a good reason not to vote my way or else I will chop his hand off and give the watch to one of you and let you vote whatever I say."

Tonpa glared at me, "Fine."

He put the watch on and smiled, "Ok!"

Part of the wall slid up revealing a door with a message on it.

"I see," the blonde haired boy said. "So the door appears once five people arrive and put on the stopwatches."

"'At this door, select O to open, X not to open.'" The boy with the black hair read.

"Forcing us to use majority rules already?" The tall one asked. "The answer should be obvious…"

Tonpa looked at me with an amused look, "Well? What's it going to be?"

I studied the sign. I wasn't sure how much information the others knew already, but I had no choice but to open the door.

"O," I told him.

When the results popped up, it had 4 by O and 1 by X. I looked at Tonpa who had a wicked glint in his eyes as the tall guy about freaked out.

"What?!" He exclaimed. "Who pushed the X button?!"

Tonpa laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry, that was me. I pressed the wrong button by mistake."

The man grabbed him by the shirt, "Stop screwing around, old man! Are you blind?"

"Like I said, it was an accident."

"How can you accidently press the wrong button when someone tells you which one to push?!" He yelled.

"It doesn't matter," the boy with the black hair said, trying to prevent bloodshed. "The door opened."

"No, it does matter!" The man pressed. "This guy deliberately pressed the wrong button…"

"Let's go," the blonde said. "We don't have time to bicker."

"That's right…" the silver haired boy said. "Even if he keeps pressing the wrong one, the rest of us just need to press the right one."

"Fine," the man said, clearly still pissed.

Tonpa chuckled, "Ok! Let's go!"

His cheery attitude pissed the man off more and he stormed after them. I followed in my silence so I could observe them.

Before, I hadn't paid much attention to the others. The First Stage wasn't a competition and no one had paid me any attention. The Second Stage I had failed like everyone else, but just barely. I never even presented a dish to Menchi because I was working on it the entire time.

Now, this was the Third Stage. And I was stuck with people.

There was a cheerful boy, probably no older than 12, who didn't like tension or conflict in the group. He had spiky black hair that had a greenish tint to it and looked wiry and hard. There was natural tan to his skin from the hours he had spent outside. His large brown eyes were filled with innocence and gullibility. Simplicity at its finest. He was a kindhearted person, but that also made him very dangerous, I believed. He was dressed in a green jacket with orange trim and green shorts. His long legs showed how limber he was. He probably spent a lot of time climbing trees or swimming or something. His green boots reached a few inches below his knees. I couldn't imagine him needing those kind of shoes in a nature-like environment, but if that's what made him comfortable. He carried on his back a backpack and a fishing pole.

Walking next to him was another boy probably no older than 12, who didn't seem to care about the tension in the group. He hadn't made any effort to end the fight like the cheerful boy. He had short messy silver hair that seemed rather soft, unlike the other boy's. Compared to the other boy, he was ghostly pale. That didn't necessarily mean he hadn't spent any time in the sun or endless hours inside, but there was an intimidation factor about him. Even in the way he walked. His steps were careful and silent. His eyes were a blue that the bluest sky or deepest seas couldn't match. He was dressed in a navy turtleneck and white v-neck shirt over it with grey shorts. His shoes were purple and grey. Tucked under his arm was a red and yellow skateboard.

Just behind the pair was the blonde teen. He carried himself with authority. His blonde hair gave him a young appearance, the way it hung in his face, but stayed out of the way. His grey eyes held shadows of his past that he kept on his mind at all times but never spoke about. He was dressed in a white outfit, something I supposed that would be worn by martial artists then draped over it was a blue and red tabard. He wore some flats with his outfit making it easy to fight. Draped across his shoulder was a brown satchel.

The tallest member and easiest to anger was the man that I figured was older than Tonpa, but apparently wasn't since he kept calling Tonpa 'old man'. He had short black hair that was spiked up and dark eyes. He wore small sunglasses that I had seen on some of the richer people that I had crossed in my young life. Dressed in a white button up with his sleeves rolled up and slacks, I wondered if he really knew what the Hunter Exam was or if he had come to pick up a date. No one with a brain would come dressed up like that. He was carrying a briefcase of some sort. I wondered what was in it.

"So, Holly," the tall man said as he slowed to walk with me, "How old are you?"

"I'm 12," I told him with a small smile.

He looked shocked, "That's the same age as Gon. You must be incredible."

I shook my head, "No. Not incredible."

"So, what's your story? Why are you becoming a Hunter?"

The others stopped and were looking at me. Were they all really that curious? They seemed to be. "I'm…looking for someone," I said vaguely.

"So is Gon," the man said while pointing to the boy with the spiky black hair.

I was pretty sure my heart stopped when I heard his name.

"W-Who are you looking for?" I asked Gon.

"My dad," he said.

I could feel my heart break slightly. He had no idea.

"He's a Hunter as well," Gon told me. "And I'm going to find him."

I forced a smile, "Good luck."

"Who are you looking for?" The blonde asked.

I looked at him then looked at Gon, "I'm looking for my brother. We're twins. She tried to stop me from taking the Hunter Exam this year because she knew he would probably take it this year, but I haven't found him. I guess he didn't take it this year."

As soon as we stepped into the room, we were asked another question.

"Seriously," the man asked. "Another question so soon?"

"'Which way do you want to go?'" Gon read. "O for right. X for left."

Tonpa looked at me, "Well?"

"Right," I told him.

"Right," the man muttered. "Or left…"

When the results popped up, it was O 3 and X 2.

"Huh?!" The man exclaimed. "Wh-Why would you choose to go right?! Normally, you should go left…"

"That is true," the blonde said. "Studies have indicated that people who are lost or stuck at forks unconsciously tend to go left."

"I've heard that before, too," the silver haired boy said.

"Wait! The numbers don't add up! Which button did you press?" The man asked.

"Right," the blonde said.

"Right," the silver haired boy responded.

"That's why they chose to go right to outfox the examiner," Tonpa explained. "If the examiner knows that people tend to go left, the left path will be more difficult."

The man growled then stomped his foot as he looked at Gon then stormed off, "So we're just simple-minded!"

"We?" Gon asked as he followed.

I tagged along with Gon as we walked down the dark hall.

"So, what are their names?" I asked Gon.

He pointed at the angry guy in front of us, "That's Leorio. And up there is Killua and Kurapika. And I guess you know Tonpa."

I sighed, "Guess I should have taken the bracelet. Might have been easier."

Gon gave me a smile, "Don't worry. You did what you thought was right. What would have happened if you had to take the bracelet?"

"We might still be at the first door," I said. "I mean, I'm sure we would have found a way, but it's practically impossible for me to make a decision on a time limit."

"I'm sorry about your brother," Gon said sympathetically. "Do you know where he is?"

"No. When our parents split, my father took him. Ever since, there's been this emptiness. And I just want to be whole again."

Gon's eyes widened a bit, "I've had that feeling for a while. That's why I want to find my father."

I gave him a smile. It was sad that Ging would never fill that emptiness.

Suddenly, our path came to an end. I moved to where I could see better. Below us was a dark abyss while ahead was this…arena and across was another area. How deep was that darkness? Was it even deep or was it an illusion?

"Wh-What is this place?" Leorio asked.

"Look over there," Killua, the silver haired boy said.

Across the way stood five people, cloaked with metal cuffs on their hands.

"The applicants have arrived," I heard one say. "Remove the shackles."

They had been waiting for us? When the shackles hit the ground, I thought they would have broken the ground with how heavy they sounded. I took a step back.

"Jeez," he groaned then removed his cloak.

The bald man had scars on his head and a tight tan-grey shirt to emphasize his muscles.

"I'm finally free," he said. He had an annoyingly cocky smirk on his face.

Leorio swallowed hard as we stood there, a good distance away from the guy.

"Allow me to explain," a voice said. "Before you are some of Trick Tower's prisoners."

"Prisoners?" Kurapika, the blonde teen asked.

"The Hunter Exam Committee has also officially hired them as examiners," the voice said. You will be fighting against the six of them. The fights will be one-on-one. Each person may only fight once. You are free to use any method you like. There will be no draws. A win is declared when the opponent admits defeat."

"You may pick your order," the man across the way said. "It's majority rule. So secure four wins, and you may pass. The rules are simple."

"Tsk," Leorio scoffed. "Majority rules again?"

I looked up at him, "That is the path we're on. But we've come across an unnecessary problem."

Everyone looked at me. "What do you mean?" Kurapika asked.

"Originally, we only had five, but they bent the rules for this situation to allow me to participate in the fights," I explained. "They're planning to kill us."


	2. Simplicity

"Well, I prefer straightforward rules," Killua said nonchalantly.

"I understand," Kurapika said. "And we must reach the goal within seventy-two hours. So time will be crucial during these fights."

"Ok," the only prisoner that had stepped forward said. "I'm up first. Choose your combatant!"

"What should we do?" Killua asked. "He said we can fight with any method. So that means anything goes."

"We don't know what they'll try to pull," Leorio said.

"There's too much at stake without knowing what they have up their sleeves," Kurapika stated as he began thinking of some sort of strategy. "Given that, I shall-"

"No, I'll go!" Tonpa volunteered.

"Tonpa?" Gon asked.

I blinked, just as confused as Gon. Why would he fight this guy? There were obviously people weaker over there. Why not wait and get us a guaranteed win?

"I'll act as a guinea pig, so we can discover what they're up to," he said as he looked at Gon. "Consider this an apology for earlier."

"Hey, are you serious?" Leorio asked.

I looked away ashamed I was with this guy. He had bought that lie so quickly after everything Tonpa had done. If he survived, I was taking the watch by force.

"Sure," Tonpa said with a reassuring smile, but his eyes said betrayal. "Plus, you guys don't really trust me, right? Do you really want me to be the one that determines whether we pass, when the score is 3-2?"

"You have a point," Leorio said but he still felt guilty about using Tonpa as a sacrificial lamb. All of them did, except Killua.

"Then it's settled," Tonpa said.

"Tonpa, you're…" Leorio didn't even finish his thought.

I sat on the edge, resting my arms on my legs and placing my head in my hands as the bridge came out and reached the arena in the middle. Before Tonpa started walking, I pulled the stopwatch off his wrist and put it on mine.

Tonpa stopped and stared at me, "What'd you do that for?!"

"If he threw you over the edge, we'd be screwed. I figured I might as well take it now so I don't have to worry about it."

Tonpa glared at me and took off his bag, dropping it behind me then started his way to his probable death.

"Th-That was a surprise," Leorio said. "I didn't expect Tonpa to volunteer."

"He called himself a guinea pig," Kurapika said guilt in his voice.

"Will Tonpa be ok?" Gon asked.

Once the two fighters…well, Tonpa and the prisoner were in place, the prisoner began speaking again. "Now, let us determine the method of combat," he said. "I propose a death match," that cocky smirk returned to his lips.

A snowball had a better chance in hell.

"A death match?" Gon asked, concerned about Tonpa.

"They fight until one dies?" Leorio asked not liking the rules that had been proposed.

"No," Kurapika spoke lowly and angrily. "Don't let him provoke you."

"Well?" The prisoner asked Tonpa.

"Very well," Tonpa agreed. "I accept!"

"Seriously?" Leorio asked in disbelief.

"I commend you for your courage," the prisoner said while getting in a fighting stance.

With his fists raised, Tonpa looked convincing enough. But I knew he was a coward. Anyone that would poison a drink and give it to rookies isn't worth the time of day.

Tonpa moved to a different fighting stance like he was seriously getting ready to fight.

"T-Tonpa?" Leorio muttered.

"Let the fight begin!" The prisoner declared.

He jumped up and came at Tonpa, his fingers extended. He was going straight for Tonpa's throat.

Tonpa raised his arms up then fell to the ground, "I give!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. This was embarrassing.

"What?" Leorio managed to ask through his surprise.

The prisoner landed on his feet right in front of the bowing, surrendering Tonpa.

"Did he just give up?" Gon asked.

"M-Maybe he meant 'Give me a sec'?" Leorio suggested.

I just looked at the stopwatch on my wrist. At least it didn't take long. We still had 68 hours to go.

"What did you just say?" The prisoner asked.

"You win if I admit defeat, right?" Tonpa asked. "I give up. I lose!" He gave a nervous laugh.

I could feel Leorio's anger from where I was sitting. "Wha…wha…wha…"

The prisoner actually started laughing. "Alright," he agreed. "I win this round." A 1 appeared on their side of the room, above the other prisoners. "If we win three more rounds, you lose. You won't be able to advance or turn back. You'll be stuck here until the seventy-two hours are up. Should that come to pass, our sentences will be reduced by seventy two years." He laughed again, "Which shouldn't be too hard to do with this guy and a weak little girl over there."

All of them looked down at me.

I just shrugged, "It's true. I've had nothing but luck so far."

"Man, that was a disgrace," Tonpa said when he got back.

Now that I had to play an innocent girl act, I couldn't jump up and push him off the edge like I wanted. Although, I wasn't quite sure Leorio wouldn't.

"He looked a lot stronger close up," Tonpa said making up a quick excuse for his pathetic actions.

"Bastard," Leorio said, grabbing him by the shirt. "You just confirmed all my suspicions! You're a worthless piece of trash, who's only good for sabotaging other applicants!"

"Exactly," Tonpa admitted with a wicked smile. "That's what I do every year. And I plan to continue the tradition."

"Wh-What?" Leorio questioned, his anger clouding his ability to comprehend simple facts.

"I'm not looking to pass the Hunter Exam," Tonpa told us. "I'm only in it for the thrills."

"The thrills?" Leorio asked.

I yawned as I looked at the darkness. I wondered how deep it went. Finding a loose pebble, I dropped it and watched it fall then waited for it to hit something. My sharp ears never heard it hit. Guess it was too small for me to hear it hit anything.

"Yes," Tonpa answered.

I looked at the watch. Still on 68 hours, but we were wasting time.

"The Hunter Exam is a trial meant to crush confident young people's dreams. The moment of despair, when ambition and hope give way, gives me a sense of exquisite pleasure. Especially when I'm actively shattering these rookies' dreams. I don't plan on becoming a Hunter. I've already had enough fun this year. It's time for me to bow out."

"You bastard," Leorio spat, ready to punch him in the face.

"Stop it, Leorio," Kurapika said.

"But…" Leorio started.

Kurapika stopped him, "They want us to waste our time, fighting amongst ourselves."

"However," Killua said catching all of our attention, "if their goal is to buy time, then the old man made the correct choice." From the strange glint in Killua's eyes, I could see that something dark and dangerous lingered in his soul.

That had confused everyone, even me.

"That bald guy is probably a former soldier or mercenary," Killua explained. "Had you fought him, he would have started by crushing your throat, so you couldn't have given up. Then he would have tortured you, without killing you, for the rest of the remaining time."

"Th-That was one of the possibilities I took into consideration," Tonpa said, though he looked extremely pale.

"You look sick," Leorio stated bluntly.

More shackles hitting the ground caught my attention. I looked at the prisoner who had dark hair that reached his shoulders, most of it hanging in his face, covering the left side of his face. He was thin and pale. No scars on his body.

"Regardless, we need to win four rounds and advance," Kurapika stated.

"Who's going next?" Killua asked.

"Me!" Gon said while raising his hand. "I'll go!"

"Are you sure?" Leorio asked as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Uh-huh!" Gon nodded confidently.

"The next opponent doesn't look too strong," Killua observed.

"But you can't let your guard down," Leorio told him. "He's still a criminal."

Gon took off his backpack, "Uh-huh, I know."

I stayed seated as I watched Gon walk to the arena. As much as I hated it, I still couldn't do anything. But, if this man hurt Gon, it would be hell to pay when my turn came.

"Now then," the prisoner said. "As you can see, I'm not very strong. I don't really enjoy fistfights or other physical activities, such as running or jumping."

"I do," Gon admitted. "But I'm not too good at using my head."

"As I thought," the prisoner said. "So I came up with a simple game we could both play."

"A game?" Gon asked.

"Yes," he said. "It doesn't rely on either mental or physical activity."

"What kind of game?" Gon asked curiously.

The prisoner pulled out two candles. "We each light a candle at the same time," he explained. "The one whose candle goes out first is the loser. What do you think?"

"Yeah!" Gon agreed. "That's easy to understand. Let's go with that."

"Ok," the prisoner said. "In that case…" he opened his hand revealing the truth of the candles. One was much longer than the other. "Decide which candle you want to use. Press O for the long one, or X for the short one."

That was dirty. We had to decide as a team rather than let him decide alone. The prisoners must have known about my decision anxiety.

"This will be determined by majority rule," the prisoner said.

"We have to choose one?" Leorio asked in shock. "This is a trap! Normally, you'd choose the long one, so he must have done something to the long one!"

"That would be the safe assumption," Kurapika agreed. "But it might be a trick, and he's actually tampered with the short one."

"When you put it like that…" Leorio started.

"Yes," Kurapika agreed with his unfinished thought. "There is no end."

"You've got a real dilemma there," Tonpa voiced.

"You keep your mouth shut!" Leorio yelled, enraged at the man.

"Yeah, yeah," Tonpa said with a shrug.

"When presented with a clearly uneven choice, people become suspicious and hesitate before deciding," Kurapika stated. "Yes, this is a real dilemma. What's worse, if you make the wrong choice, the resulting mental anguish would be much greater than if the problem had offered two fair options."

The prisoner sat down, clearly tired of standing and waiting for the choice to be made. "Take your time," he said. "This may be a majority decision, but you're free to discuss it. We have plenty of time."

"Gon should decide," I said. "We should back him up. It's his fight, after all."

"Hmm," Gon hummed then turned to us, "Hey, which one should I choose?"

"Damn," Leorio cursed. "Which one should we take?"

"I agree with Holly," Kurapika said. "Gon should decide and we should back him up."

For a moment, no one argued that. It had been decided.

"Gon!" Kurapika yelled. "You decide! We'll abide by your decision! Choose the one you think is best."

Leorio stared at Kurapika, his anger growing, "How could you listen to her?! We don't know her! She fell in with Tonpa!"

I sighed as I looked at my watch. I already knew what Gon would choose. That's what I would choose. We were exactly the same. I wasn't as gullible as he was, but I used to be. I was definitely just as simple.

"Are you sure about this?" Killua asked. "He never thinks anything through."

"Instead of wasting time fretting over what to do, let's rely on Gon's instincts," Kurapika said.

"Instincts, huh," Killua said.

"I get to choose?" Gon asked. "Ok! Then I choose the long one!"

"You want the long candle?" The prisoner asked.

"Because a longer candle will burn a longer time!" Gon concluded.

I just smiled.

"Er, he's just taking it at face value?" Leorio asked.

"I knew he wouldn't think this through," Killua grumbled.

"Well, that's that," Kurapika stated.

I pushed O and watched the board.

"It's not like we can figure out which one is the trap," Leorio said while scratching his head.

O5 X0

"Ok," the prisoner said while getting up. "You get the long one. I'll take the short one."

With that, he tossed the long candle to Gon. The torches on the edge of the arena were lowered and Gon and the prisoner walked to them.

"Now, we light our candles together," the prisoner directed.

The prisoner put his candle in the fire and Gon put his candle in the fire, lighting their candles. Once the candles were lit, they wandered back to the center of the arena and watched the candles burn.

Something was wrong.

"Normally, how long would it take that candle to burn down?" Killua asked.

"Five to six hours?" Kurapika suggested.

I sighed as I watched, "So, if he tampered with the candle to make it burn faster, the joke is on him."

A strong wind current came from the darkness, blowing my hair everywhere. I blocked it from my face and watched Gon's candle. The flame didn't go out as he protected it.

"Woah, that was close," Gon said.

"A strong wind is coming from below," Leorio stated. "That means we should watch our step. No time to relax, huh?"

I noticed Gon was looking from his candle to the prisoner's then back to his and back to the prisoner's.

The prisoner gave a wicked laugh, "If you don't pay attention, your candle will go out."

"That's because you're planning to do something bad," Gon said. "Otherwise, your candle would go out first."

"I won't do anything," the prisoner said. He chuckled, "After all, I've already taken steps."

Suddenly, the fire on Gon's candle became much larger, causing the candle to burn much faster. I jumped to my feet, about to run across, but Kurapika grabbed me, "We can't help him."

I stopped struggling against Kurapika as I watched him.

Gon…do something…

Then the flame must have hit gunpowder or something because it got even larger.

"See?" The prisoner said with a smirk.

"Hey, look at Gon's candle," Leorio said. "The flame's suddenly become stronger!"

"He must have hidden gunpowder or some other highly flammable substance inside, to make the candle burn faster," Kurapika stated.

Gon was doing his best not to drop the candle as the wax burned his hands, "H-Hot."

"At this rate, his candle will only last another two or three minutes," Killua said.

"Damn," Gon and I cursed together.

"Hey!" Leorio called. "That was dirty! I knew you tampered with the long candle!"

Gon and I suddenly grinned at the same time. We had both figured out the only way to win this. Gon's grin had caught the prisoner off guard as a look of pure confusion came over his face.

Leorio glared at me, "What are you so happy about?!"

"Just watch," I said, still grinning like an idiot.

"If the fire is stronger," Gon said as he placed his candle on the floor, "then a little breeze won't extinguish it."

Gon got a good run across the arena and he was in front of the prisoner.

"He's fast!" The prisoner said in shock.

Gon blew out the prisoner's candle and turned to see his candle still burning.

He faced the prisoner, putting up a two finger V for victory, "I win!"

"Yes!" Leorio said.

The bridge went back out and Gon walked back, "Yay! I won!"

I grinned and forced myself to refrain from hugging him.

"Good job, Gon!" Leorio cheered. "Now we have a win! Once Kurapika, Killua, and I win, we can advance!"

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Leorio," I told him. "I might have to fight."

Shackles hit the floor again. I watched as someone with blue skin walked forward. What the heck, how did he get blue skin?

"Alright," Kurapika said. "I'll go next."

I thought it was odd this guy had remained cloaked until Kurapika couldn't run away.

My attention turned to Tonpa, "You should have fought this guy. You might have had a chance for a win."

The guy removed his cloak and I was starting to wish he had left it on. I wasn't quite sure what was going on with his head, whether there was grass growing there or if he had green hair, but it looked like there was a metal piece there for his skull and there was a metal thing that had replaced his ear as well. There was a wire from his metal ear to his neck, maybe to help circulate blood. His left eye was swollen, while his right was fine. He didn't have a nose, instead, it was just the cavity. What few teeth he had were crooked and he had what looked like screws or bolts has bottom lip rings. On his left pec, there were…19 hearts tattooed. This guy…he was messed up. Was he trying to be a robot?

He gave a strange laugh, "I'm next!"

"That's one freaky body," Leorio said.

"And face," Killua agreed.

"Look here," the prisoner…robot…guy said while pointing to the hearts on his chest, "I've killed 19 people, but it bugs me that nineteen is such an uneven number." He laughed, "I'm so glad I've gotten to meet number 20."

"Now we have a serial killer?" Leorio asked.

"I insist we put our lives on the line," the prisoner said. "I won't accept some half-assed contest. Blood! Entrails! Agony!"

If he didn't stop laughing, I was going to switch places with Kurapika and kill him myself.

"Very well," Kurapika agreed.

That stopped his laughter.

"You can decide how we settle this contest," Kurapika stated. "I'll agree to your choice."

"O-Oh," The prisoner said.

I looked at Gon, "How are your hands?"

He smiled at me, "They're fine." He showed them to me, "See?"

Seeing his hands…I wondered if that's what Ging's would look like. Fin, our mother, said that he liked fishing and had left the pole for Gon. He had left me something at his home as well, but she would never tell me where it was.

The calluses on Gon's palms were from the pole and the ones on his fingers were from the line and the occasional times he pricked himself with the hook.

"Holly?" Gon asked. "Are you alright?"

I looked at him then sniffled and wiped my tears away, paying attention to Kurapika's battle, "I'm fine, Gon. Just…just thinking is all."

"You've got balls," the prisoner said.

I cleared my throat, "Hey! Prisoner…thing! I'm only 12! I really don't want to hear about private areas of men right now! Give me another year!"

He ignored me. "In that case, I also propose a death match, where we fight until one of us surrenders or dies. However, don't expect me to stop when you surrender and beg for your life!"

He started laughing again.

"Very well," Kurapika agreed. "I accept."

He took off the tabard, "Let us begin."

"Hold on," the prisoner said. "I forgot to mention something. No weapons allowed. We'll beat each other to death with our fists. After all, while I may be hired as an examiner, I am still a prisoner. I'm not allowed to carry weapons."

"I see," Kurapika said. "I understand."

He reached behind him and pulled two wooden swords…I guessed…and tossed them to the side where his tabard was. A look of fear followed by relief fell on the prisoner's face.

"Anything else? If not, I'd like to get started," Kurapika said.

"Hey now," Leorio started, "Is Kurapika going to be ok? This guy looks dangerous."

I sat down and watched as the two fighters…or fighter and coward faced off.

"You don't need to worry," Gon assured Leorio.

"Why not?"

"Because when I look at him, I don't get chills," Gon answered simply.

I glanced at my simple brother. So, he had them as well. There was someone over there that was dangerous. I couldn't tell who it was coming from, but one of the six fighters was more dangerous that the others.

"What does that mean?" Leorio asked him.

"Time to show you the ace up my sleeve!" The prisoner exclaimed after he was done expanding his muscles.

Whatever surgeries he had done…he needed to see a psychologist.

He jumped into the air, "I'll see you dead!"

"Here he comes!" Leorio exclaimed.

When his fist hit the floor, it shattered part of the arena. No normal person would be able to do that. I got back on my feet and stood next to Gon, watching the match with the same concern he had. Though the prisoner didn't feel dangerous, that was a concerning blow. Kurapika jumped away, keeping his eyes on his opponent.

"Wow…" Tonpa muttered.

"He made a hole in the floor with his bare fist," Leorio said, stunned at his strength.

When the prisoner pulled his fist out of the floor, he made an unnecessary move, turning his back to Kurapika. There…was a 12 legged spider on his back…

"Dear God," I whispered as I took a step back.

Gon looked at me, "What's wrong?"

"It's the Phantom Troupe," I whispered.

"A tattoo of a spider with 12 legs," Leorio said quietly. "That's…"

"Yeah, I recognize it," Tonpa said. "Anyone aspiring to become a Hunter has heard of it. That's the symbol worn by members of that notorious band of evil thieves, the Phantom Troupe!"

"Really?" Gon asked Leorio.

"Yeah, definitely," Leorio confirmed. "They're famous. I heard about them straight from Kurapika."

Kurapika finally stood up. I felt sick seeing him standing there. There…definitely was something wrong with him.

The prisoner laughed, "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? I'm Majitani, one of the Phantom Troupe's four kings! Consider that first strike my way of saying hello. This is your last chance to surrender. I'm still willing to-"

He stopped talking as fear took over his features. Something had definitely changed about Kurapika. I didn't know what…but it made me take a step back. The chill that danger was near…I felt it coming from Kurapika now.

"Wh-What's wrong with you?" Majitani asked.

Kurapika moved so fast, I didn't even see him get to Majitani until he had the blue prisoner by the face. I could hear the bones crushing.

Kurapika was ready to punch him.

"O-O-Ok," Majitani begged. "Wait! I get it! I surrender!"

Kurapika punched him anyway with such force it knocked the prisoner out and cracked the arena slightly. His body bounced a few times and I saw the change in Kurapika's features. His eyes…were red.

Killua whistled, clearly impressed with Kurapika's fighting ability.

"Consider this a warning," Kurapika told the prisoner. "First, a real Phantom Troupe tattoo has the member's number on the spider. Second, they don't bother counting how many they've killed. Third, never mention the Troupe again. If you do, I'll kill you."

For a moment, no one moved.

"Wow…" Tonpa managed to say.

"Kurapika…" Leorio whispered, concern lacing his voice.

"Well, saw that coming from a mile away," Killua stated.

"Yup," Gon and I said, but we were both still concerned about him.

Leorio snickered, "Is there a reason you two are holding hands?"

Gon and I looked at him then looked at each other then noticed our hands were together. We just grinned and let go.

I rubbed the back of my neck, "Sorry Gon."

I no longer felt completely empty. But…telling him still had to be done. I couldn't keep it secret forever. I would tell him if I was eliminated or if he was eliminated. If he got eliminated, I would drop out and take it with him the next year. I had found him…I wasn't going to lose him again. No matter what.


	3. Majority Rule Issue

When Kurapika returned to our side, he was wearing his tabard and had his wooden swords stashed away.

"You ok, Kurapika?" Leorio asked him.

"Yeah, I'm not injured," Kurapika assured us.

That was a relief.

"Also," Leorio continued as he took a step back, "is it safe for us to be near you?"

I looked at him then back to Kurapika. I had no idea what he was talking about. Kurapika's eyes weren't red and he didn't feel dangerous anymore.

Kurapika sighed and held his head like he had a headache, "From the moment I saw him, I knew he was weak. And mentally, I knew that tattoo was a fake. But, as soon as I saw that spider, everything in my sight turned red."

"Well," Leorio said as he rubbed his head, "I can't really blame you."

"Actually, to tell the truth," Kurapika continued, "Even when I see a real spider, my personality changes, and I enter a frenzy."

I gave a small smile, slightly unnerved by the information. Guess I knew who to call if I ever had a spider problem…though I wasn't exactly sure why.

"You should have told us sooner," Leorio said.

Kurapika walked by and sat down, his knees up and his arms crossed over them, "But this means that the rage in me remains as strong as ever. I suppose I should be happy."

Rage? He didn't seem like an angry person other than the untold shadows that haunted his eyes.

"We should keep Kurapika away from spiders," Gon told Leorio.

I nodded in agreement.

"Definitely," Leorio agreed.

Leorio stepped forward, "Ok! I'll secure our victory!" Just before he started his venture over the bridge, he pointed to Majitani, "Ok! Toss that guy out, and send in your next competitor!"

"We can't do that," a prisoner that chose to remain cloaked responded. The voice was high-pitched. They had a girl as well?

I stood next to Leorio, just in case I decided to take the fight.

"What's that?" Leorio asked.

"We can't move him yet," she explained as she walked to the arena. "Because his match hasn't been settled."

"The match hasn't been settled?" Leorio asked. "What do you mean?"

She kneeled by Majitani's body giving it little examination, "He's still alive. He was only knocked out. Did you forget? This was a death match. The fight doesn't end until one contestant surrenders or dies. He's still alive, and he hasn't surrendered."

She giggled and walked back to her side.

Leorio scoffed, "Tsk…Damned technicalities!"

"But she's right," Killua said.

"I agree," Gon said.

Leorio twitched in anger, "I see." He turned to Kurapika, "Hey, Kurapika! Go finish off that worthless trash."

"I refuse," Kurapika said.

"Why?!" Leorio exclaimed angrily.

"The fight is over," Kurapika said, determination on his face. "He'd already lost his will to fight when I punched him. I will not fight someone who's lost."

"Screw that!" Leorio yelled. "Then what do we do? They're claiming the match hasn't ended!"

"Let him handle it," Kurapika answered.

"Huh?!" Leorio gasped in disbelief.

"Once he wakes up, we will have our answer," Kurapika told him.

I looked away from the arguing pair back to the unconscious criminal on the arena.

"Hey now," Leorio said. "We only have so much time left. We can't afford to just sit and wait!"

What if that was part of their plan? If he was faking it…we would be in trouble.

I felt my head hurt as I sat down. I had been thinking too hard for too long. Trying to think outside the box gave me a nasty headache.

"I have no intention of killing him!" Kurapika said.

"Come on!" Leorio nagged.

"Hey," Killua said. "If you don't want to dirty your hands, I'll do it."

I looked at Killua, shocked at his statement. That was a disturbing thought.

"Killua?" Gon asked, more so trying to stop him than asking why he would volunteer for such a task.

"You haven't ever killed anyone before, right?" Killua asked Kurapika. "Are you scared?"

"I have never considered whether murder is frightening," Kurapika said lowly. "But this is a one-on-one battle. You aren't permitted to interfere."

"Ok, then," Killua said with a shrug. "But, we're working as a team, so you shouldn't be too selfish."

I blinked as I looked at Killua. He…wanted…to kill this guy.

"Oh! You do say useful things sometimes! Keep it up!" Leorio cheered. "Don't you understand that you're screwing up our chances?!" He asked Kurapika.

"I'm sorry, but I won't change my mind," Kurapika said.

"You stubborn fool," Leorio growled. "Fine! A majority decision! O to kill him, and X to leave him alive. Ready, and…"

No one moved, but I heard Leorio's watch beep and Tonpa chuckle while I looked back to the arena.

"Why isn't it working?!" Leorio screamed.

"Maybe it's because we're asking the question?" Gon suggested.

Leorio looked at him, confused by the suggestion.

"The watches only work for questions presented by the examiners," Killua explained.

"I see," Leorio growled, irritated with the situation. "Ok!" He held his hand up. "Then we'll use a show of hands! Those who agree that he should be finished off now!" He raised his hand with a satisfied smile.

"You traitor," he growled at Killua. "Weren't you just lecturing Kurapika with me? We're supposed to be a team! A team!"

"But it's pointless," Killua argued. "He's not gonna change his mind."

"Hey Gon!" Leorio called. "Why do you oppose killing him?"

"Kurapika's right. He was on the verge of surrendering. Let's wait for him to wake up."

"We don't know how long that will take," Leorio exasperated. "I should just-"

"You shouldn't force others to do things," Tonpa advised. "Different people have different circumstances and ideals."

"No one asked your opinion," Leorio said.

"Hey," Tonpa said with a smirk. "A majority ruling implies that you're asking everyone's opinion. Including mine and hers," Tonpa said while pointing at me.

Leorio scoffed, "Dammit! Fine! Do whatever you want!"

He walked away to the door where we had walked in and sat down to sulk in the darkness.

"Leorio," Gon called.

"Man, what's wrong with these people?" I heard Leorio grumble to himself.

"Now he's sulking," Gon said.

"None of this matters if we can't even progress," Leorio grumbled again. "Don't you people get it?"

"Just leave him alone," Killua said.

Everyone had parted to their own separate corners now.I didn't like it. The tension. Killua was standing next to me as we watched the prisoners on the other side. They didn't appear to be doing anything suspicious but they were prisoners and they had played tricks every round, except the first one. Tonpa played us on that one.

My eyes wandered to the 1 above the prisoners. If I went out there to the arena, there would be a 1 on our side as well. We needed three more points to continue. Why had they changed the rules for this? Why had they allowed another person to join just to allow me to fight?

"Holly," Gon called, grabbing my attention.

I turned to face him, "Yeah?"

He sat down and I sat next to him, "What are you going to do when you find your brother?"

"Well," I said as I sat there, "he wants to be a Hunter too. Between the two of us, I'm sure we'll think of something. Where do you plan to start looking for your dad?"

"Whale Island," he said. "That's where I'm from and where he grew up. Something has to be there, right?"

Whale Island. That sounded so distant now, yet somewhat familiar.

I nodded, "Do you live with your mother?"

He shook his head, "No, she died with my sister. I don't know how. I wish I could remember them, though. Mito-san raised me with my grandmother."

"Mito-san?" I asked.

"She's my aunt," he explained while kicking his feet. "She's the closest thing to a mother I've had. What's your mother like?"

I sighed, "She's complicated. I didn't know about my brother until I turned 12 when my grandmother handed me a picture of my parents holding my brother and me. I had seen it before, but it had been ripped…My mother had ripped Dad and my brother out. My grandmother told me that my father was a Hunter and my brother would probably want to become a Hunter as well and taking the Hunter Exam would be the best way to find them."

Gon looked at me, "Do you have the picture?"

"Yeah," I said as I took off my bag. "Somewhere. But it'll be hard to see in here. I can show you when we get out of here."

Gon smiled and nodded, "Ok!"

The two of us stood up and we watched the unconscious prisoner. I felt the same thing Gon was feeling.

Both of us checked our watches. 60 hours left. Was he dead?


	4. Gambling Problems

Killua walked up to us. "Is something wrong?"

We nodded. "Uh-huh," we answered simultaneously then pointed to the unconscious or dead prisoner.

Killua's eyes widened, "I get it." Gon and he walked away from us. I watched them walk to Leorio who was laying down now rather than sulking. That was good."Hey," Killua said to get his attention, "It's quite possible that he's already dead."

"What's that?" Leorio asked surprised by the news.

"Well, it's been several hours," Gon told him. "And he hasn't moved an inch."

Leorio ran to my side and Gon appeared on the other side of me.

"Damn," Leorio grumbled. "It's too far away for us to tell. Hey! We want to check his body!"

The female prisoner stepped forward, "What's that?"

"He could already be dead," Leorio said while pointing at the possibly dead Majitani.

"I already told you, he's only unconscious," she argued.

"How many hours has it been?!" Leorio yelled. "I can't just take your word for it!"

"Then let's make a bet," she said.

"A bet?" Leorio asked. "On what?"

"On whether he's dead or alive," she said.

"What would we wager?"

"Time."

"Time?"

"We will settle our match through a betting game, a gamble," she said. "And we'll use time, rather than chips. Look at the monitor on the wall."

I turned my attention to the monitor. 50 50 popped up.

"We each have fifty hours," she explained. "However we can only wager multiples of ten. We continue placing bets until one of us has no hours left."

"A match where we gamble time," Leorio mumbled.

"You should let me take this," I told Leorio.

Leorio shook his head, "I'm awesome at gambling. This match is mine!"

"We'll take turns deciding on what to bet," the girl said. "If you end up with zero hours, your time limit will be shortened by fifty hours."

"And if you end up with zero hours?" Leorio asked.

"Our sentences will be extended by fifty years," she responded. "If these terms are acceptable, I'll check whether he's still alive."

I looked at Leorio, "Please. Let me take this."

Leorio shook his head, "I don't know you and I don't trust you. You fell in with Tonpa. I sure as hell don't trust him."

I shot a glare at Tonpa and sighed. "Fine."

"Man, this chick is whack," Leorio mumbled. "She's willing to risk extending her own sentence."

"Consider your answer carefully, Leorio," Kurapika warned. "If you lose, we'll have fifty fewer hours with which to escape the tower."

"You shouldn't talk," Leorio scolded. "After all, this is your fault, for not finishing him off!"

"Fine!" Kurapika huffed. "I won't say another word!"

"Hey, we shouldn't argue amongst ourselves," Gon said, trying to stop them.

"Right!" Leorio exclaimed while pointing at the female prisoner. "I accept!"

"Ok! I choose our first bet, so you can decide how many hours we'll wager on whether he's dead or alive," she said.

"I bet ten hours that he's alive," Leorio said.

The female prisoner giggled, "Very well. Then let's check."

Leorio started across the bridge, but Kurapika just had to push another button. "You're being pretty cautious," he said.

"Weren't you going to not say anything else?" Leorio asked him earning a glare from Kurapika.

Leorio flipped the guy onto his back and put his fingers to Majitani's throat.

"See? He's only unconscious," the female prisoner said.

"So it seems," Leorio said.

"Alright! Leorio has the lead!" Gon cheered.

I watched as Leorio continued to examine the guy. What was he doing?

"This is bad," Killua said.

"Huh?" Gon asked.

"It's possible he isn't going to wake up," Killua said.

"What do you mean?" Kurapika asked.

So that's what Leorio was doing. He was checking Majitani to see if he was conscious.

"Remember when that woman walked near the guy on the floor?" Killua questioned.

"What of it?" Kurapika asked.

"I thought then that he was already dead," Killua said. "But on second thought, they'd obviously prefer him alive, but remaining unconscious. If he doesn't wake up before the test ends, it shortens their sentence by seventy-two years."

"So if he doesn't wake up…" Gon started.

"That's my point!" Killua said.

"That's been their intention all along." Kurapika hissed angrily.

Leorio was finished with his examination.

"Well, it's your turn," the prisoner said. "Decide what we'll bet on."

"Let's see," Leorio said. He pointed at Majitani, "How about we bet on whether or not he's truly unconscious?"

"Huh?" She squeaked.

Relief flooded our side of the arena. He was conscious.

"I see," Killua said.

"Very well," she said. "I bet twenty hours he really is unconscious. But how do we confirm whether he's really unconscious?"

Leorio kneeled down and picked the guy up, "Oh." He groaned as he put the guy's arm over his shoulder and lifted him up. "That's simple." He started walking to the arena's edge. "This guy's heavy…" He held Majitani by the shoulder, ready to drop him off the edge, "I'll just toss him off the edge. If he's actually unconscious, he'll fall to his death."

"Are you insane?" She asked. "His match hasn't been settled yet. We can't accept those terms."

"Don't worry," Leorio said with a smirk. "If he falls and dies, we'll forfeit the match, which gives you two wins. Is that satisfactory?"

"Yes," she agreed. "It is. But then I'm changing my wager. I bet forty hours he isn't unconscious. Everything I have left."

"Heh, little sneak," Leorio said. "Finally showing your true colors. Then, I'll let go of him."

He let go.

Majitani started freaking out, "Woah! Wait! I'm awake! I'm awake! Don't let go! Wait! Woah! I'm gonna fall!"

Leorio caught him just before he really fell off the edge. "Good morning," he said.

Majitani landed on the arena, "You people are crazy! I've had enough! I'll take the loss! Forget the sentence reduction! It's safer in prison!"

"You knew that he was awake," she said.

"I actually aspire to become a doctor," Leorio admitted. "All I had to do was check his eye movement."

The score was now 80 20. We were losing.

Admittedly, Leorio had done better as far as that was concerned. As far as points went, we were 2 1, in the lead. But this was gambling. Leorio didn't seem like a good person to put in the gambling situation.

"However, you're down to 20 hours," the prisoner told him.

"But now we have a 2-1 lead," Leorio argued. "Now, it's your turn! What do you want to bet on?" After a moment, she didn't answer so Leorio got impatient and asked again. "Well, are you going to tell me what the next bet will be? Or have you lost your nerve because I've figured out your scheme?"

Her shackles came off and fell to the ground. "Very well," she said as she removed her cloak.

She had bright purple hair that was tied into two pig tails and big purple eyes and a slim figure.

"That old guy's probably dancing on the inside," Killua stated annoyed.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Kurapika said.

I stood there, completely clueless about what they were talking about.

"Then let's bet on whether I'm a man or a woman," the woman said.

I blinked, "She's joking right?"

It was clear Leorio was shocked by her gamble.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" She asked.

"N-No," Leorio stuttered. "That's fine, but how will you prove if I'm wrong?"

"Oh, right. I'll let you examine every part of my body. Until you're fully satisfied," she said.

"Seriously?" Leorio asked excitedly. "Her body?"

"Leorio will bet she's a man," Kurapika stated confidently.

"Uh-huh," Killua agreed.

Gon and I looked at them. "Why?" we asked.

"Ok, I've decided," Leorio said. "I bet ten hours you're a man!"

"I knew it," Kurapika hissed angrily.

"Dirty old man," Killua grumbled.

"But how did you know?" Gon and I asked.

Killua sighed, "She said that if he's wrong he gets to examine her body until he's fully satisfied right?"

Gon and I nodded.

"So, he's going to want to be wrong because he's a perverted old man and he's going to want to search her until he's fully satisfied. He wants to be wrong. There you have it."

I had a disgusted look on my face.

"I get it now," Gon and I said.


	5. Ripping Out Hearts

"Ok! Reveal the answer!" Leorio exclaimed.

"Too bad…I'm a woman," the prisoner said.

"R-Really?" Leorio asked excitedly.

I wanted to puke, remembering what Killua told me.

"Would you like to check?" The prisoner asked him.

"Woah," I yelled at him before he agreed. "Leorio, we're kids!"

"B-B-But of course!" He agreed quickly, ignoring me.

I was definitely scarred for life.

"Just watching hurts," Kurapika muttered.

"He's gonna lose," Tonpa said.

Gon and I looked at Tonpa.

"The opponent has seen through Leorio's strategy. He's been betting conservatively, to minimize damage from either outcome. A gambler who focuses on avoiding a loss won't ever win. I guess Leorio just doesn't have what it takes.

"Now it's your turn to think of a gamble," the prisoner said. "What do you want to bet on?"

"Leorio has no more room for error," Kurapika said."If he loses the next wager, the overall score will be 2-2. And we will have fifty fewer hours to escape this tower."

"Leorio," Gon muttered.

Killua looked at me, "Our fights…they have to end with certainty."

I looked at him. There was darkness in his eyes, bloodlust. I took a deep breath and let it go as I nodded. "Agreed."

"I can't lose the next bet," Leorio muttered. "But I can't think of anything that'd be a surefire win. Oh, that's it! We can bet whether I'm a man or a woman. No, that wouldn't work."

"Hey, old man," Killua called. "You're thinking aloud!"

"I know," Gon said. "Leorio!How about whether or not you're still in your teens?"

"Come on Gon!" Leorio yelled. "I don't look that old! I'm clearly a teenager!"

I could tell by the prisoner's reaction she would have lost that bet.

"T-Teenager?" She asked, shocked. "But he looks like an old man."

"Right!" Leorio exclaimed after picking his nose. "In that case, we'll use rock-paper-scissors!"

I sighed and shook my head. I should have taken this maybe I could get us some time when my fight came. I looked at Killua, "We have to make our fights fast."

He looked at his watch and nodded, "Very fast. If yours is a fight, how fast can you kill someone?"

"Depends," I said. "If I can make the rules, it'll take less than ten minutes."

The four of them stared at me a bit shocked.

"You don't look like a killer," Kurapika said.

I smiled at him, "I'm not. It's an island tradition. Where I come from, we don't have jails or anything. Maybe you'll get to see it."

"Rock-paper-scissors," Kurapika muttered. "Why did he have to pick such a difficult wager?"

"Rock-paper-scissors is hard?" Gon asked.

"Let's see, then," the prisoner said. "I'll put 80 hours on my victory."

"E-Eighty hours?!" Leorio asked in shock.

His confidence was officially shot.

"Is something wrong? I'm free to bet as much as I want."

"W-Well, that's true," Leorio said.

"And if you lose, I can still only take ten from you," she told him nonchalantly. "Don't worry."

"While rock-paper-scissors has simple rules, the game itself is quite complex," Kurapika explained. "If you consider the game from a probability standpoint, there's only a one-third chance of losing. However, if your opponent can predict your reasoning and control your reactions, defeat becomes much more likely."

"In other words, simple-minded Leorio will be at a disadvantage," Killua said to simplify Kurapika's extensive explanation.

"I see," Gon and I said.

"Alright!" Leorio exclaimed. "I've made my decision."

She giggled as she approached him.

"What?" Leorio asked.

"It's obvious what you'll use," she said. Leorio was definitely shaken. "I can read minds," she told him.

"Liar!" Leorio exclaimed. "Your bluffing won't scare me!"

"You'll believe me soon enough," she said.

Leorio was freaking it out.

"Leorio will use rock," Kurapika stated.

"Let's do this!" the prisoner said. "Rock…paper…scissors!"

They both used rock.

"You were right," Gon said. "Good guess!"

"Nervous people unconsciously avoid any action that involves opening up," Kurapika explained. "In other words, by making Leorio uncomfortable, she ensures that he's less likely to use paper."

"So, if she sticks with rock, she's guaranteed a win or draw," Killua said.

"As I was explaining, rock-paper-scissors is actually a mind game," Kurapika said.

"Now I see," Gon said.

"Hold on," Leorio said. "Since we both used rock, wasn't that a draw?"

"What of it?"

"A-ha!" Leorio exclaimed. "So you were lying about being able to read my mind! If you really could, you'd have won! Right?"

She giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"I deliberately gave you that tie," she said.

"Quit lying!"

"Did you forget? We're trying to stall you here. If I chose to, I could force an indefinite series of draws. But that wouldn't be any fun. So I'll end this with the next turn. Well? What will you use next? Think hard. Come on." She giggled.

"Damn," Leorio cursed as he held his head.

I sighed as I looked at my watch. 60 hours 15 minutes. We were running out of time.

"Worrying. Fretting," Kurapika said. "When someone loses confidence, they crave reassurance. That makes him more likely to either use the same hand, or, in an effort to regain his confidence, to use a stronger one than in the previous round."

"Meaning that she wants Leorio to choose either rock or paper," Killua said.

"Yes," Kurapika confirmed. "If she uses paper, she's certain not to lose."

"Then Leorio just needs to stay a step ahead!" Gon said as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Well, if he could calm down, that might work," Kurapika stated.

"Leorio!" Gon yelled.

"What is it?!" Leorio yelled.

"Hey, you'll win if you go with scissors next!" Gon said.

"What? Scissors?" Leorio asked as if he hadn't even thought it as an option.

The prisoner giggled, "Go ahead and try."

That had just stressed him more, "Man, I have no idea what to think!"

"Here we go!" The prisoner started. "Here comes the draw!"

She threw paper. He threw rock.

We had lost. Not only had we lost the round, we had lost 50 hours. I felt sick as I looked at my watch. 10 hours left.

She laughed as she spun around, "I win!"

"Rock-paper-scissors really is complicated," Gon said as he folded his arms behind his head.

I noticed we were standing the same. My arms were behind my head as well. It made me smile a bit.

"Now the score is 2-2," Killua pointed out.

"Worse yet, we have to give up the fifty hours he lost," Kurapika stated.

"Sorry," Leorio said, ashamed of himself. "I was pretty confident in my rock-paper-scissors ability."

Tonpa scoffed, "Pretty pathetic showing, then."

"What was that?!" Leorio exclaimed, but let it slide with a sigh.

I looked at Tonpa, "Don't kick a man while he's down, Tonpa. You're the idiot that surrendered."

"Well, I can't argue with on this one," Leorio stated. "But thank you for standing up for me, Holly."

"It's almost over," Kurapika said.

"Guess I'm off," Killua said.

"What? Killua?!" Leorio exclaimed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Killua and I asked him.

"Dammit, I really needed to win my round," Leorio cursed.

I frowned while Killua nearly jumped Gon, "Gon…This guy is totally pissing me off!"

"Now, now," Gon said nervously.

"Don't give up before we even know what the contest is," Killua said. "Well, if it's something like mental math, I'm surrendering."

"That's right!" Leorio exclaimed. "Depending on the opponent, we still have a chance!"

I heard something get slammed into the wall on the other side. What the heck was going on over there? It went silent then I heard something like someone scraping the wall. The prisoner that appeared from the shadows had scraped down the solid stone wall.

He pulled his cloak off. He was a broad man with blonde hair and a blonde mustache. Pure muscle and I could see the veins in his arms.

Leorio gasped, "That guy…"

"You know him?" Gon asked.

"We should take the loss," Leorio said. "Killua! Don't fight him."

"Why not?" Killua asked.

"Johness the Dissector," Leorio said. "The worst mass murderer in Zaban's history. He chose victims randomly. It was a famous case, 146 people, young and old, men and women, met with brutal deaths by his hand. The victims had one thing in common. He murdered all of them with his bare hands. He was known for his iron grip, the power of his fingers."

He crushed the rock in his hand, turning it into rock as if to prove what Leorio was telling us. "It's been so long since I touched human flesh," Johness said.

"You don't have to face that psychotic killer," Leorio said. "There's always next year."

Killua walked forward, walking across the bridge.

"Hey, Killua!" Leorio yelled, trying to stop him. "Killua! Dammit, was he even listening to me?!"

"We should let him go," Kurapika said. "He could have a plan."

When I had seen that bloodlust in his eyes…I knew Killua was different. I didn't know what kind of different, but there was something different about him.

"How are we settling this contest?" Killua asked the mass murderer.

"Contest?" Johness asked, his hand twitching slightly. "I believe you're confused. This will be a one-sided massacre. I have no interest in the exam or any offer of amnesty. I just want to hear you scream."

"Really? Ok. Then the loser is the one who dies."

Johness was definitely surprised, "Yeah, that's right. I'll tear your body apart."

Johness reached for Killua and all I saw was Killua step forward then he was on the other side of the arena. How…how had he moved so fast? Johness had what looked like a bullet hole in his chest where his heart would have been, only I never heard a gun go off.

"Wh-What?" Johness asked, confused. He grasped his chest, "I'm so cold."

When he turned to face Killua, I stared at the moving object that was wrapped up in the piece of shirt Killua had ripped off. He…he had ripped out Johness's heart.

"That's…mine…" Johness said as death slowly began to take him. He walked toward Killua, "G-Give it back."

The heart stopped and Johness fell…dead. Killua placed the heart in Johness's hand.

"Who is he?" Leorio asked.

"That's right," Gon said. "You guys don't know."

"Don't know what?" Leorio asked.

"Killua comes from an elite family of assassins," Gon explained.

"A-An elite family of assassins?!" Leorio exclaimed.

"I'm back," Killua announced.

Leorio jumped back from him and I just smiled. Killua looked at me, "You got the dangerous one. I'm kind of jealous."

I just smiled, "Sorry."

I walked out to the arena and waited for my examiner. I could tell he was dangerous, but just how dangerous was a different story. He chose to stay cloaked as he approached me. He was tall and broad, that much I could tell.

"Holly," he said as he chuckled. "The only girl on the team. I'll respect your opinion and allow you to choose our fight, rules, and reward."

I smirked, "On the southern edge of the world, there's a small island called Fox Tail Cove."

"I've never heard of it," he said.

I shrugged off my bag and dropped it to the ground, "We don't believe in jail. When someone is accused of a crime, we challenge each other to a Knife Edge Death Match*. That is the fight. The rules are simple. The reward if I win is we are allowed to have an even 15 hours to get out of the tower along with our point of victory. You can choose your reward."

"If I win, you spend the fifty hours you lost with me," he said.

I nodded, "Agreed."

A/N: *Knife Edge Death Match is from Yu Yu Hakusho. Chu challenged Yusuke to it in the Dark Tournament. Since Hunter x Hunter was written by the same author of Yu Yu Hakusho it just seemed fit to have it in this story.


	6. Knife Edge Death Match

With a smile, I shrugged off my backpack and dropped it to the floor then pulled out the two knives from inside that I kept just for these occasions. The prisoner reached for it as I walked to him, but I walked past him and stabbed the knife into the ground then counted ten steps and stabbed the other into the ground and looked at him.

He took off his cloak revealing someone that could have been a god in a previous life. He was charming. There were no scars on his flawless skin and his brown hair was perfect while his green eyes seemed to glisten with love as he gazed at me. I hated him.

A seductive smirk formed on his lovely lips, "What's wrong? Do you like what you see?"

"I've never fought someone so pretty," I told him. "I've always wondered what it would be like to fight a woman. Guess I'll know."

He just chuckled, "Insults are for simple minded fools."

"Guess that makes us even," I told him as I walked to the knife that put my back to the board. "The rules, as I said, are simple. This knife represents the edge of the world now. You can't take a step back, you can't take a step forward. There will be no weapons involved. Just our fists."

"What does the knife have to do with anything?" He asked as he looked at it.

I chuckled as I took my shoes off and put my right foot against the blade. Just feeling the steel against my bare skin sent a shudder of excitement through me. A Knife Edge Death Match was so exciting! I loved it.

"Put your foot in front of the blade and someone from my team will tell us when to begin," I told him.

"Are you insane?!" Leorio cried out. "You'll get killed! What the hell are you thinking?!"

"We should trust her," Gon said.

I could hear his suppressed excitement in his voice as the prisoner placed his foot in front of the blade. As I looked up at him, I noticed the sudden anxiety in his eyes when he felt the blade slice his foot just from resting on it.

"I have a question," I said before the fight began.

"And what's that?" He asked.

"What are you in for?"

A nasty glint sparkled in his eyes, "Just some rapes and murders. I usually go for girls a little older than you, but you'll do fine."

I smirked wickedly, "Pretty confident for someone that has no idea what they got themselves into."

"How about you answer a question for me then," he said.

"Very well."

"Why this sort of fight? It will cripple you through the Hunter Exam."

I laughed at him, "You simple fool. Do you really think I would challenge you to something I didn't know I couldn't win?"

"Not when I have the advantage," he said. "It may be a form of punishment where you're from, but you have no scars from further punishment. You've committed no crimes. You haven't been in a Knife Edge Death Match before. My size puts me at the advantage."

I smirked at him, "Let's just see how this works out."

"Begin!" Kurapika exclaimed.

The man began throwing punches and I blocked most of them, but my foot was still pushed back into the blade. I threw some punches, forcing him to slide on the knife. The pain was evident on his face, which was something you never showed in a Knife Edge Death Match.

Something slid down my arm and I stopped to see a cut down my arm.

He…he had cheated.

I stopped blocking his attacks as I stood there looking at him, completely confused. "W-What were you thinking?"

He just laughed, "I'm going to win this no matter what!"

"You fool," I said quietly. "If you cheat in the Knife Edge Death Match, you forfeit your life. And I was going to spare you. Mainly because you don't deserve the peace of death."

In an instant, I pulled my knife from behind my foot and sliced his throat open. I watched him fall to the ground choking on his own blood. I heard a beep come from our side, officiating our fourth win then I picked up his cloak and wiped off the blood from the knives and tossed them back in the bag.

Gon was the first to my side. "Are you ok? Your foot is bleeding pretty badly."

I looked at the bloody footprint that I had left and nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine. Just…why would he cheat?"

Another bridge came out while another piece of the wall rose. "Across the bridge, you'll find a small room," the intercom voice told us. "You must spend the 44 hours you gambled away there."

"Well, let's go," Killua said optimistically.

"Yeah!" Gon and I agreed.

"R-Right," Leorio muttered.

It was a relatively nice room compared to the rest of the tower we had seen. Even had a bathroom.

"Good grief," Leorio grumbled. "We have to spend 50 hours in this room?"

He sighed as he sat on the black leather couch that was in there.

"Killua," Kurapika addressed.

"Huh?"

"Can you tell me how that technique works?" He asked, referring to how he ripped Johness's heart out, I guessed. I hadn't used any sort of technique.

"Technique?" Killua asked.

"The one you used to instantly remove his heart," Kurapika explained.

"Oh, that wasn't even a technique," Killua told him. "I just ripped it out."

"Ripped it out?" Kurapika asked. Now I was curious.

Killua raised his hand with this evil expression on his face, "But to make it easier, I manipulated my body a bit."

I watched as his nails became razor sharp and long like claws and all his veins popped out.

"Y-Your nails," Leorio exclaimed.

"Wow!" Gon and I awed.

"Mass murderers are still only amateurs," Killua said. He pointed at himself with his thumb, "I used to be a professional. But my old man would've done better. When he removes a heart, you won't even see a drop of blood."

Leorio gave a shudder, "How reassuring."

"Well then, we have almost two days," Killua stated.

"What should we do?" Gon asked while looking at Killua and me. His eyes suddenly widened, "Leorio! Do you have any bandages for Holly?"

That's right. He wanted to be a doctor. I wandered over to Leorio and let him bandage me up.

"Why did you gamble that?" Leorio asked. "That was stupid."

"Where I'm from, everything's a gamble," I told him. "That's why we have the Knife Edge Death Match. To gamble our lives. I've only killed four others. But that was because I knew if I didn't kill them then, they would come back for more."

He gasped when he started to bandage my foot, "How many of those have you been in?!"

Killua and Gon looked at the bottom of my foot as well and just had a strange look of disgust on their faces. I smiled a bit, "At least 30. I've never lost. Mom gets challenged because of stealing or something and I have to fight for her because she's not capable of fighting."

"Why do you fight for her?"Kurapika asked.

"I have to," I told him. "It's fight or die. If I don't fight for her, I'll die for not fighting."


	7. Wasting Time

When Leorio finished bandaging me, I walked around a bit. It was the first time I had ever been bandaged up after a Knife Edge Death Match. I didn't like it. I really didn't like the fact my arm had a bandage on it.

"So, what should we do guys?" I asked Gon and Killua.

"First, we should search the room for any kind of entertainment," Killua said.

"Yeah!" Gon and I agreed.

I followed them to the TV.

"Man, you kids don't have a care in the world," Leorio said.

Gon and I stood back and watched as Killua managed to get the TV working. We grinned at each other then watched the blank screen for a moment. I had never seen a TV before.

Killua smiled as he looked at it, but his smile was short lived. "No channels," he told us.

"What's a 'channel'?" I asked.

Killua and Gon looked at me, not believing I had asked. I just laughed a bit as I rubbed the back of my neck, "I'll find out later."

"Do you want anything to drink?" Leorio asked as he plugged up the strange tea-maker, I guessed.

"Sure!" We all agreed.

"Can you teach me more about your skateboard?" Gon asked Killua.

"Sure," Killua said.

I sat down and watched as Killua taught Gon how to stand properly on the skateboard and how to push off.

"Let me show you a trick I learned," Killua said.

I stood next to Gon while Killua took the board from Gon and showed us this insane flip trick where he kicked the board back causing it to spin then caught it. I sighed in awe.

"Woah," I managed to say.

"If you hesitate on the first step, you'll hurt yourself," Killua said while handing the board to Gon.

"Got it," Gon said.

I watched as Gon tried to hold his balance on the two back wheels. He was about to start flailing, but I grabbed his arms and he smiled at me.

"Thanks."

"Can I try after Gon?" I asked Killua.

Killua shrugged, "I don't care. Not like we're doing anything else."

I smiled when I let go of Gon. He seemed confident enough to try now.

"I've never heard of Fox Tail Cove," Killua told me. "Just how far south is that?"

"I had to leave in December to make it to Zaban on time for the Hunter Exam," I told him.

"But registration is in December," he said.

"I know," I said. "I had to send that back in October to make it before the registration date."

"So, you traveled a month early-"

The board shot out from under Gon and grazed Tonpa's head and passed between Kurapika and Leorio. We just looked at them, not saying anything. It was apparent they had been having their own discussion. Tonpa had a deer-in-headlights look.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Leorio yelled.

"Sorry about that," Gon said while scratching the back of his head.

"Don't skateboard inside this tiny room!" Leorio lectured.

I groaned, "But Leorio-"

"No buts! You could hurt someone! And you don't need to be on the skateboard at all. Not with the condition your foot is in. You should probably withdraw from the exam, Holly. You might not be able to participate with that sort of injury."

"The only way I'm dropping out is if I die," I told him.

After a while, we all settled down and made a place to sleep. But, I wasn't able to sleep. I stared absentmindedly at the clock on the wall. 34 hours 6 minutes.

"Can't sleep?" Someone asked quietly.

I looked down at Kurapika and noticed that Killua was also awake.

"That's not it," Killua said. "I can go two or three days without sleep."

"Ten hours have passed, huh?" Kurapika stated.

"There aren't any windows, so it's hard to tell," Killua said. "But it's probably morning."

"Most likely," Kurapika agreed.

Killua sat up and looked at me then pointed at Gon. I rolled over and saw him sound asleep. I sat up and looked at Killua as he picked up his pillow with an evil chuckle and playful grin. I grinned as well as I grabbed my pillow ready to attack the sleeping boy.

When Killua threw his pillow, Gon caught it and threw it back at him. We both just sat there, shocked.

"You little jerk," I muttered and jumped on him then began tickling him.

Gon laughed until he finally pushed me off and onto Killua. I grabbed the pillow from Killua and chunked it back at Gon who easily caught it and threw it back at me and I wink then slammed it into Killua's face.

"Hey, pipe down," Leorio told us.

He wrestled me to the ground and Gon got on top of us trying to get the pillow back.

"Let me sleep some more," Leorio mumbled.

We stopped for a moment and laughed. Tonpa put his foot right by Leorio's face.

"That stinks!" Leorio exclaimed.

The three of us laughed at him. I noticed Kurapika shaking. To my surprise, he was laughing at Leorio as well.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Leorio asked us irritably. "That wasn't funny!" He leaned over Tonpa, "Bastard, you'd better not be pretending to sleep." He walked away from Tonpa and rubbed his face, "Damn, now I'm totally awake. And we still have 34 hours left?"

As the day went on, I tried to convince Leorio to let me skateboard, but he wouldn't. I almost resorted to reading books, but I picked up Gon's fishing rod instead.

Gran Gran said Dad liked to fish…

"Let me see," Killua said.

I handed him the pole and the three of us crashed on the couch, me on the other side of Gon as Killua looked at the lure.

"Oh, I thought you just had to stick bait on a hook, and you could fish," Killua said as he looked at the lure.

"Yeah," Gon said. "You have to think like a fish."

"Think like a fish?" Killua asked doubtfully.

"Yep!" Gon said, pretending to cast a line. "How would a fish feel if it saw bait dangling in front of it?"

I laughed at Killua's expression. He knew Gon had clearly over thought the whole idea of fishing.

"Give me that," Gon said, referring to the lure.

Killua handed Gon the lure, curious as to what Gon would do with it. Gon held the lure still for a moment then with a quick, fluid movement, he cast it straight into Tonpa's cup.

I gasped in amazement, "Wow! That was perfect!"

"Wow!" Killua exclaimed. "Let me try."

Gon handed Killua the rod. Killua held the lure the same way Gon had.

"Like this?" He asked as he cast it over to the couch Leorio was napping on.

He missed Leorio.

Gon laughed a bit, "You missed."

"Just watch," Killua said.

With a quick tug, he had snagged Leorio's pants. As Killua pulled, Leorio started waking up.

"H-Hey," Leorio groaned. "What are you doing? Hey!"

I grinned.

"Just as planned," Killua shouted proudly.

"Nice," Gon cheered.

"Hey, you'll tear my pants," Leorio said, trying to get the lure free. "Stop it!"

"See?" Killua asked with a goofy laugh. "I caught him."

"Yep," Gon and I agreed with a smile.

Leorio, however, wasn't happy.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He yelled. "I'm a fish now?!"

"You don't have to get so mad," Killua said with a pout. "It's not like I'm going to grill you and eat you."

"Don't mess with me, fool!" Leorio yelled. "Man, I can't even take a nap."

We snickered.

Gon looked at me, "You want to try?"

I blinked, "Uh, sure."

When I took the rod, I felt the familiarity of it. Looking around the room, there wasn't really anything I could try to go after. I didn't want to mess with Kurapika, he was reading.

So, I held onto the lure for a moment and looked at my bag. I launched the lure to my bag and with a light tug, managed to get the lure to wrap around the handle and bring it back to me.

Gon and Killua stared at me.

"What?" I asked, a bit uncomfortable under their gaze.

"That was amazing!" They both cheered.

I just smiled slightly and untangled the lure from my bag then handed the rod back to Gon.

"You don't look like you fish," Gon said.

"I don't," I told him. "That was just luck, I guess."

The rest of the day was boring. When we all decided it was time to sleep, I wasn't tired again. Kurapika had fallen asleep sitting up. Leorio was still watching TV. I was watching the clock.

22 hours 6 minutes.

When Leorio finally turned off the TV and went to lay down, I noticed Kurapika wake up. It was weird that he was sleeping with those glasses on his face. I sighed as I sat up and looked at Gon.

"If you don't sleep, you will have to drop out of the exam," Kurapika said quietly.

I looked over at him and nodded then laid back down and stared at the ceiling.

"Do you regret killing him?" Kurapika asked.

"No," I said.

"It involves Gon, doesn't it?" Kurapika said knowingly.

I sat up quickly as I looked at him.

"I've seen the way you watch him. How you jumped to help him, though you didn't move for any of our fights. What is it with Gon?" He asked.

I stood up and sat next to Kurapika, "Will you promise not to tell him?"

Kurapika gave me a suspicious look, "If Gon's life is at risk, I will not hesitate to tell him."

I crawled to my bag and went to the bathroom. Kurapika followed me in there. I searched through my bag and pulled out a picture of four people. A man and a woman holding their son and daughter. I turned the picture over, letting Kurapika read the names.

"Gon and Costa, age 2," Kurapika read quietly. "Your real name is Costa?"

I nodded. "Mom told me that Gon would know me as Holly. I've been using that as my name since I arrived."

"When are you going to tell him?" Kurapika asked as he handed me the picture.

"After the exam. And…if I don't pass at any point, I want you to tell him. Tell him not to look for me. I'll find him after the next Hunter Exam."

"And if Gon doesn't pass?"

"I'll drop out and take it with him next year," I said.

Kurapika's grey eyes studied me for a moment, "Your dedication to someone you barely know…It's obvious now that you're twins."

I smiled as I put the picture away. "It's hard to be here with him. To know that I'm just…dead to him. No one has even bothered to correct the lies we've been told our whole life. I thought Dad was dead until I turned 12. Gran Gran told me and gave me that picture. Told me the only way to find Gon would be to become a Hunter. And she was right."

Kurapika gave me a gentle smile, "Get some rest while you can. I'll make sure no one bothers you tomorrow if you want to sleep through tomorrow."

I smiled at him, "Thank you, Kurapika."

I laid down between Gon and Killua then pushed Gon away because he had moved to where he was in my spot and fell asleep, glad my secret was finally of my chest.

When I woke up, Gon and Killua were doing push-ups but like handstands. Gon grinned at me, "Hey! You should join us!"

I yawned then gagged, "Geez, it smells terrible in here."

"Then work out with us and you'll smell terrible too!" Killua said with sweat on his face.

I sighed, "Fine, whatever."

I quickly balanced myself on my hands and started doing push-ups.

We were brought food after a while and a food fight almost broke out between Gon, Killua, and me.

Killua smiled, "I know! Let me show you this game."

Basically, he had to catch our hand as we tried to get it through his. Only…Killua's concentration was incredible and our speed was not. He could catch me and Gon no problem.

I huffed as I crossed my arms over my chest, "No fair. Gon and I aren't trained for this kind of stuff. Let's go, Gon."

I held my hands apart and noticed that Kurapika was watching. The news of Gon being my brother had really fascinated him. I concentrated on what Gon would do. He kept hesitating then I caught him and laughed. "Got you!"

He groaned, "Man! I suck!"


	8. Freedom!

Killua chuckled evilly."Let's make this game a little more fun."

Gon and I both looked at him, interested in what he had to say about it.

"If you get caught, you have to get flicked in the forehead," Killua said.

Gon frowned, "But I don't want to flick Holly. I was told not to hit girls."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Gon, you saw me stand on a knife. I think I can take a flick to the forehead. I accept your challenge!" I yelled as I pointed at Killua.

"Hey, before you go accepting anyone's challenge, you need to get your bandage changed," Leorio told me.

I groaned and walked over to him, letting him change the bandage. He blinked when he removed it. "It's almost gone," he told me as he examined my arm. "How is that possible?"

"I've always been a quick healer. My foot's fine too," I said as I watched Killua catch Gon's hand then flick him in the forehead.

Gon yelped in pain and I laughed.

Leorio took the bandage off my foot as well and had the same reaction. He couldn't grasp the fact that my foot had healed completely. I sat next to Gon and Killua, settling in and taking a glance at the clock. Three hours left.

"Ready?" Killua asked as he held his hands apart.

I smirked as I got ready to swipe my hand through his. We stared at each other for a while, making the game much more intense than it should have been. I went to make my move and stopped while he slammed his hands together. As soon as he pulled his hands apart, I got my hand through and grinned.

"Ha! Got it!" I cheered.

Killua frowned and sat there with a pout. I snickered evilly as I pushed back his hair and flicked him on the forehead.

He laughed, "You flick like a girl!"

I glared at him and tackled him to the ground, giving him playful punches, "What was that?! How about my punches huh?!"

He laughed as we wrestled around then both of us pulled Gon into the mix and tumbled around for a bit until Leorio picked me up by the back of my shirt, holding me like a puppy.

I pouted as I looked at him, "What?"

"Didn't your mother teach you anything? Girls don't wrestle with boys!"

"Do you really have any place to lecture her?" Kurapika asked. "Besides, I don't have a problem with it."

Leorio immediately dropped me and stormed to Kurapika, "YOU DON'T have a problem with it?! Mr. Morals doesn't have a problem with a girl having dry sex with two boys?!"

That was going a bit far with what we were doing…

Kurapika looked at me, "That's a bit extreme, Leorio. They were wrestling. Besides, Holly was raised to fight. If anything she is probably more awkward around women than she is men. If you had a problem with her wrestling with the two of them, you should have had a problem with her sleeping between the two of them for the past two times we've actually slept and you would have had a problem with her being the only female in this room of males. I did but I got over it."

Leorio gave me a suspicious look, "I still don't trust you."

I sighed and shook my head. Whatever. Mood killer. The three of us sat on the couch, all of our fun officially sucked away. And it was officially awkward now that it had been pointed out I was a girl. Gon and Killua were sitting together and I had left a decent amount of space away from them.

And I had been having so much fun… Now…

Gon and Killua sat on either side of me. They smiled at me.

"We've decided we like you," Killua said.

"Yeah," Gon agreed. "Even though you fell in with Tonpa."

I sighed, "That was an accident…"

We were officially at the one hour mark.

"One more hour," Leorio sighed.

I jumped to my feet and grinned at Gon and Killua who stared at me curiously. "One more hour then we are free from this hell!" I said excitedly. "Let's make it an hour to remember!"

Gon's eyes went past me as he grinned and jumped to his feet, "Pillow fight with them!"

I grinned evilly as I looked at Leorio, Kurapika, and Tonpa. There was no way they would win against the three of us. And if we were lucky, we could wear Tonpa out so much he wouldn't want to fight anymore. We could just drag him along.

Killua picked up the pillows and handed one to me and Gon, "We'll just attack," he told us. "They won't even see it coming," a wicked grin covered his face.

I nodded, "Who wants who?"

"I'll get Tonpa," Killua said.

"Don't kill him," I muttered.

He gave a disappointed sigh, "Then I'll go for Kurapika."

"I'll go for Tonpa," Gon said with a smile.

Killua frowned, "Is that such a good idea? He's a dirty old man."

I shuddered a bit, "They both are."

"I'll go for Leorio," Killua said. "You go for Kurapika."

I frowned. I'd rather go for Leorio.

"I'm fine with Leorio. I'm not his age, you know," I said.

Gon shook his head, "Go after Kurapika."

I nodded as we faced the adults of our group, all bearing wicked grins of our own.

"Attack!" The three of us yelled.

I jumped on Kurapika, who was clearly caught off guard when I slammed the pillow on him. He laughed a bit as I continued to hit him with a pillow until he took it from me. I squeaked and jumped off him, landing on the other side of the room. We were in an intense stare down as we faced each other, waiting for one of us to move. I could try to take the pillow, which would risk me getting hit or captured or I could wait until he came to me and definitely get hit.

"Let me go!" Gon struggled.

I looked over and saw Leorio had him in a head lock.

"Gon!" Killua and I yelled.

I jumped in after him. Leorio was so surprised by the sudden attack, he released Gon, but captured me. Once again, he was holding me like a puppy.

I crossed my arms over my chest as he held me up by the back of my shirt, "What's your story? This is the second time you've jumped to Gon's rescue and you were holding hands." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "Is there a romance in the group I smell?"

Everyone went quiet.

My eyes drifted to the clock and I grinned widely, "Two minutes!"

Leorio practically threw me across the room, but it was straight into Killua, and we both fell to the ground, taking Gon out as well. We laughed as we just stayed in the strange pile on the floor before we got up and went to the door.

"One more minute," Killua said anxiously.

"This is one long minute," Leorio said.

Gon and I were nearly shaking with excitement as we stood in front of the door, waiting for it to open again.

It buzzed, signaling that it had been unlocked. The red light turned green and the door slid open. Gon and I ran out with a laugh.

"Ah! Wait up!" Leorio called after us.

We ran, voting as fast as possible to get through until we ended back at the arena. Did we take a wrong turn?

"Thirty minutes of running just to end up where we started," Leorio grumbled.

"We should have taken those stairs down," Killua said.

"Shut up!" Leorio yelled. "We all agreed upon this route!"

"Stop arguing," I told him. "We're wasting time. We'll just go back."

At one point when we voted O, we ended up taking the strangest mine shaft ride ever. What the heck was a mine shaft doing in a tower anyway? Just how big was this tower anyway?

At another route, the floor was glowing and started to give way. I had to pull Leorio up because Tonpa wouldn't help him and Gon and Killua were too far ahead. This was getting scarier with every vote. But, we were making progress.

On another route, a boulder chased us. It was started to seem like we were making the fastest choices after all as long as our lives were on the line.

Of course, Gon, Killua, and I enjoyed it. Kurapika, Tonpa, and Leorio were less excited about running from death.

The boulder crashed into the wall and our escape from that certain death was over.

"Awh, I'm covered in dust," Killua complained.

I laughed at him and ruffled his hair getting the dust everywhere. I learned quickly that was a terrible idea when I sneezed. Gon and Killua laughed at me while I just glared at them. Jerks.

"H-Hurry up," Leorio panted. "We only have an hour left."

When we got to the end of the hall, we came to the end of the tower.

"We're supposed to vote on whether to open the door?" Leorio asked. "We need to move on. So obviously, we want to open the door."

Leorio snatched up Tonpa while I looked at Gon. He gave a nervous laugh. "Oops. Sorry, Leorio."

I looked at how close Leorio was to actually hitting Tonpa this time.

"Eh?" Leorio grunted.

"I accidently pressed the wrong button," Gon said.

"What?" Leorio asked in disbelief.

I sighed, "Gon is a simple child, Leorio. We've been switching between X and O the entire time. Our last selection was O. He would have pushed X out of habit. And Tonpa doesn't have the watch. I do."

"Oh…right," Leorio said.

"Wait," Tonpa said. "You owe me an apology. I can't let that slide."

"It's your own fault," Leorio said. "For doing things to make me distrust you. I don't owe you anything."

"You make it sound like I'm the one to blame for everything that's gone wrong."

"What?" Leorio asked, offended at what Tonpa said.

"Have you forgotten who cost us those fifty hours?"

"And have you forgotten who won us an even 15 to get back?" I asked them, stopping the fight completely. "Now, if you two don't shut up, I will make Killua rip out your vocal cords and if he doesn't do it willingly, then I will do it by myself. We have an hour to get through that door and if either of you say another word about this, I'll kill both of you."

"Hey Holly!" Killua and Gon called. "We're getting close to the goal!"

I smiled and ran into the room we just unlocked. One door had a red X the other a red O but there was a strange statue of half a woman coming out of the wall. I…didn't really like it. It was weird. And there were weapons EVERYWHERE. What was up with that?

"Let's see," Killua said as he looked at the sign. "'This will be the last decision made by majority rule. Are you ready? Choose O or X.' That's it."

"Am I ready?" Leorio repeated. "You bet."

O5 X0.

The statue started beeping, which was weird.

"Please select a path," it said. "There are two choices. One path allows all to pass, but is long and difficult. The other path only allows three, but is short and easy. Incidentally, the long and difficult path requires a minimum of 45 hours. The short and easy path leads to the goal in approximately three minutes. Press O for the long and difficult path, and X for the short and easy path. If X is selected, two people must be secured to the wall with handcuffs before the door will open. Another must be chosen to stay with them. The two chained members and other remaining member will be unable to move until the time limit expires."


	9. Drawing Lots

I looked at the weapons. This…this was extreme. And only two of us would go. I…didn't know what to do.

"The examiners were very prepared," Killua noted as he looked around the room. "I think they have every weapon under the sun here."

"Two out of five," Kurapika said. "So we're supposed to fight, to decide the three who pass?"

I looked at everyone in the room.

"I'm not fighting," I said. "I'm pushing O."

"Let me make this clear," Leorio said. "I'm going to press X. But I have no intention of staying behind. I'll do whatever it takes to be one of the three."

"You're shameless," Tonpa said to Leorio. "Had you not wasted fifty hours, we could have taken the long path. Shouldn't you take responsibility and stay behind?"

"What?!" Leorio yelled.

"I'm sure everyone else agrees," Tonpa stated. "Have I said anything inaccurate?"

"Hold on," Gon said. "I'm going to press O as well. We made it all the way here together. I want us all to pass together."

"Gon," Kurapika started but didn't finish.

"Even if it's a big risk, I want to give it a shot!" Gon insisted.

"Come on," Killua exasperated. "You can't really call this a risk." He held up his watch, "We have less than an hour."

I could tell that unsettled Gon, but he was set in his decision. And I was going to stand by my decision as well.

"There's only one choice if you want to pass the exam," Killua told us.

"There you have it," Leorio said.

"Now we have to decide how to choose which three pass," Killua said. "Well, I'm planning on it being me, you, and Holly."

That certainly made the room tense. Kurapika looked at me. If I had to fight…Gon was obviously one person I was taking with me, but I really didn't hold favor to Kurapika or Killua.

Suddenly, an axe came between Leorio and me. I pushed Gon back while pulling my knife out and glaring at Tonpa.

"Tonpa, that was dirty!" Leorio yelled.

I looked at Gon, "Are you alright?"

He nodded, "Are you?"

I nodded and stood in front of Gon, just in case they got too close again. The room was too small with those large axes. But…they were breaking the stone.

"Do you see that?" Gon and I asked each other.

We looked at each other with wide grins and grabbed axes from the wall and I stepped in and broke up the fight.

"You idiot!" Leorio yelled. "We could have killed you!"

I glared at him, "And then you could have hung my corpse on those handcuffs and you would have had to bear the guilt of killing a child while walking down the short path."

Leorio suddenly dropped the axe.

"Wonderful," I said with a smile, "Now that I have everyone's attention, Gon and I figured out how to get everyone to the end. If everyone would please push the O button, we'll begin."

Killua got in my face, "Are you crazy?! We can't make it!"

"You're absolutely right," I agreed. "But, with some help from these, we can," I said as I handed him an axe.

He just stared at it, "We already tried to kill each other."

"We're killing a wall, Killua," I said with a grin. "Since we can choose that one and everyone wins, we'll choose that one and make our own way through to the short one and be there in three minutes."

He just blinked then smiled widely, "That's brilliant!"

Everyone pushed O and we went through and began our demolition of the wall that would take us to the short path. It made me wonder how many times we could have just broken the wall and it would have been done with.

I tossed my axe away and jumped through the wall only to start falling. I screamed as I scratched at the floor then started giggling and laughing as the lanterns began to light up. It was a slide!

When I got to the bottom, Killua slammed into me harder than he should have because he was riding his skateboard on the way down and flipped over me. Then Gon slammed into me.

I groaned, "Ouch. Gon, get off."

He laughed a bit as he got off then helped me up. The three of us walked out together and I groaned. I wanted so badly to see the sun. I just wanted the sun, but it was nice to see other people, I guessed.

"Killua, applicant #99, is the twentieth to pass. Gon, applicant #405, is the twenty-first to pass. Costa," I flinched. "Applicant #207, is the twenty-second to pass. Total time, 71 hours and 59 minutes."

"My butt hurts," Killua whined. "I didn't expect a slide for the short and easy path."

Gon looked at me, "Did he say your name was Costa?"

I nodded, "It is Costa. My mom told me to tell everyone my name was Holly because that's what my dad told my brother. I was going to explain after the exam, but I guess that's cleared up."

Gon nodded with a smile.

Kurapika walked out

"Kurapika, applicant #404, is the twenty-third to pass. Total time 71 hours and 59 minutes."

Gon and I smiled at him.

"That was close," Gon said.

My hands were shaking and covered in blisters. They were already slightly calloused from the knife fights I got in, but the wooden handles on those axes made the handles on my knives look like fuzzy slippers. My knives had string wrapped around them for better grip and usually caused a burn of some sort if they slipped too quickly or I moved with them too quickly, but most was just wear and tear. But, the wood had really worn my hands.

"My hands are covered in blisters," Kurapika said.

"Same here," Leorio grunted as he fought with Tonpa to get through.

"And I thought Tonpa was done," I muttered to Killua.

"He won't make it through the next phase," he told me.

"Leorio, applicant #403, is the twenty-fourth to pass. Tonpa, applicant #16, is the twenty-fifth to pass. Total time, 71 hours and 59 minutes."

When they finally got through the door, Leorio looked at his hands, "My hands are blistered, but all of us cleared the tower together." He ruffled my hair and Gon's. I glared at him while Gon laughed. "All thanks to you two. Man, I can't believe you actually came up with that idea on the spot."

Gon laughed slightly, "We realized that we could break the walls, using the weapons."

I smiled sheepishly, "But it took over fifty minutes."

Some strange bell rang signaling the phase was over. "The Third Phase is over," someone announced. "Twenty six applicants have passed. One has died."

A door opened, letting sunlight in. I almost ran out, but I resisted the urge as I let my eyes adjust to the sudden bright light. I covered my eyes for a moment then lowered my arm.

All of us walked outside and waited for what to do next.

A man with strange purple hair and glasses started talking to us, "Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on having escaped Trick Tower. Only the Fourth Phase and the Final Phase remain."

"Two more…" someone muttered.

The man gestured to the island behind him, "The Fourth Phase will take place over there, on Zevil Island. Let us proceed."

He snapped his fingers. A tall man with a strange looking face brought out a box with arrows on it.

"I will need you to draw lots," the man with the strange hair said.

"Lots?" Someone asked.

"For what?" Another asked.

"To determine who will hunt and who will be hunted," the man said with a nasty smile.

My heart fell to the ground. He…couldn't be serious, could he?

"In here are 25 numbered cards," he explained. "In other words, your ID numbers are on the cards. Now, I need you each to draw a card, in the order by which you exited the tower. Will the first person please come forward?"

I watched as the strange joker-themed guy walked forward and grabbed a card out then walked away. He was followed by the freak with the pins in his head. That couldn't be fun.

"Guess I'm next," a bald guy said and walked forward.

Arrogant guy.

A black guy with a…club? went next.

"I'm next," a guy with a purple head wrap and bow said excitedly.

I yawned bored of this already.

When my turn finally came, I walked up there and reached in, pulling out a card. I hoped I had someone challenging. While I walked back, I looked at everyone's tag number and face, memorizing all of them as best I could. The only person I really didn't want was Gon. But…what if I was the hunted? What would I have to do then?


	10. Boat Ride

After Tonpa drew, the guy with the crazy purple hair and glasses began talking again, "Everyone's taken a card? Then, remove the seal from your card."

I did as instructed.

118.

I glanced at the man that had the monkey on his shoulder and hid my number so no one else would see. Better safe than sorry.

"The card indicates your target," the crazy haired guy said.

Everyone covered their tags while I removed mine and put it in my pocket. I could feel Gon's anxiety from where I was. He knew his target and he was scared.

"This box has recorded which card each of you drew," the crazy haired guy said. "This means that you're free to dispose of the card if you wish. The objective is to steal your target's ID tag."

"Oh, so we don't need to kill each other," someone said with evident relief.

"Naturally, you're free to use any method you choose to steal the ID tags," the crazy haired guy told us. "Including killing your target and taking the tag off the corpse."

"That sounds like the fastest way," someone said cockily.

"S-So, that's what this is about?" Another asked fearfully.

"Fool, there's nothing to be scared of," someone scolded.

"Listen carefully!" the crazy haired guy yelled getting my attention again. "Your target's ID tag is worth three points. Your own ID tag is also worth three points. All other ID tags are worth one point. You need six points to advance to the Final Phase. So while on Zevil Island, you must gather enough ID tags to total six points. That is the condition for clearing the Hunter Exam's Fourth Phase."

We all boarded a boat and I jumped onto the railing and sat down with my feet dangling over the edge toward the water. It was so tense on the boat. Everyone was officially an enemy.

"I'd like to commend everyone on board for their excellent work during the Hunter Exam's Third Phase," some woman announced.

No one was paying attention to her. Not really.

"I will serve as your guide," she continued. "My name is Khara! It will take two hours for this boat to reach Zevil Island. All 25 applicants remaining here are automatically qualified to take next year's exam! So if you fail this year, don't feel bad. Please try again next year…"

She trailed off for a moment then continued, "Well, you're free to do as you like, for the next two hours. Please enjoy the boat ride."

I sighed as I laid down on the railing and watched the clouds. This was depressing.

"Hey Costa," Gon greeted as he sat below me. There was no happiness in his voice. I rolled off the side, landing lightly by him and sat next to him.

"This boat ride is such a bore," I groaned. "Everyone's so tense. It's stupid."

Killua walked up, "Yo."

I waved with a smile while Gon just looked at him then went back to watching the seagulls that were flying around. Even between the three of us, it was quiet. It was hard to believe only hours ago, we were laughing and having pillow fights. I missed that.

"What number did you draw?" Killua asked.

"How about you?" Gon asked as he looked at me then Killua.

"Secret," Killua responded.

I rested my head against the side of the boat and watched the birds. After a moment the three of us started laughing.

"Don't worry," Killua said. "You aren't my target."

"And my target isn't either of you," Gon replied.

I pouted, "Man…"

They're eyes widened as they looked at me.

I just grinned, "Just kidding. You aren't my target."

Killua put his arm on his knee with a thoughtful look. "Show each other our numbers at the same time?"

"Ok!" Gon and I agreed.

I pulled mine out of my pocket, getting ready.

"Ready, and…" we all showed our cards.

Gon had 44. Killua had 199.

Killua gasped, "#44 is…Seriously?" He looked up at Gon, "You have really bad luck."

Gon blushed a bit, "You think so? Who's #199?"

"You don't know either?" Killua asked.

"Uh-uh," Gon grunted.

"#199 is over there," I said, pointing to the group of three. "Not sure which one, but they're going to be targeting us."

Killua and Gon looked at me.

"How do you know that?" Gon asked.

"They're like Tonpa," I said. "Except they're actually trying to become Hunters. So they're going to try to take out the weaker rather than go after their targets. They don't know much about us, but since we're kids, they're going to try and take our tags."

"Makes sense," Killua said. "But how do you know it's them?"

"When the examiner guy said we were getting hunted or going to hunt, I figured I might as well know why our ID tag numbers were in the box and why they were important so I memorized everyone's face and number after I drew my card."

"Who's #118?" Gon asked.

I shuddered, "The guy with the monkey."

Killua snickered, "Are you afraid of monkeys?"

I glared at him as I blushed, "Shut up! But…I don't know who #44 is."

"His name is Hisoka," Killua said.

I looked at Gon who had this look of excitement on his face. I knew that look. When there was more chance of failure than success, but no chance of getting out of it. I had experienced it on more than one occasion.

"Gon," Killua said.

Suddenly, that look was gone as he looked at Killua. "Huh? What?"

I smiled as I shook my head. There was so much Killua didn't understand.

Killua smirked knowingly, "Are you happy? Or scared?"

Gon looked away, thinking the question over. "Both, I guess," He responded. "In a straight-up fight, I wouldn't stand a chance. But if I only need to steal his ID tag, then I have a real shot."

"Yeah," Killua and I agreed.

"Right now, I might actually have a chance," Gon said. "That scares me a little. But I think it's worth it."

"I see," Killua said. He stood up and picked up his skateboard, "Well, let's do our best." He stopped and looked back at us, "Make sure you stay alive."

"You too!" We told him.

I didn't know much about Hisoka. But…if he was as dangerous as Gon was concerned about…would I need to stay with him?

"Gon, have you considered the alternate method of getting points?" I asked him.

He looked at me, "No. I can't. I have to take Hisoka's tag."

I knew that determination. There was no talking him out of it.

I folded my arms behind my head and sighed as I picked up his fishing rod and started playing with it.

"How are you getting your tag?" Gon asked.

I shrugged, "Whatever is necessary, I guess."

"Are you going to challenge him to a knife edge death match?"

"No," I said. "That was just for that challenge. I doubt I'll ever fight in one again. I'm a lot better at hand to hand combat without a knife digging into my foot than I am with it. Having that knife there just reminds me that my life is actually on the line. Gives the fight an extra spark."

Gon nodded as he watched the sea gulls. "Where are you going after the Hunter Exam?"

I shrugged, "Wherever life takes me. My mother will be dead and they'll have burned the house down so I won't have anything to return to at Fox Tail. I'll have to start my search for my brother from scratch. Go to a major city and branch with leads. Maybe he's a Hunter and the Hunter Association could help me find him."

Gon nodded thoughtfully then he grinned, "If he's a Hunter, you could travel with me while I search for my dad! Maybe we'll find him along the way!"

I shrugged, "Sure. That sounds good."


	11. Monkey

So, we were at Zevil Island. They threw a crossing plank across for us to pass and that Khara started explaining things again.

"Thank you for your patience, everyone," she said cheerfully. "We've finally arrived at Zevil Island! Now, please disembark in the order by which you cleared the Third Phase. After each person disembarks, we'll wait two minutes before the next person's turn."

"That means we'll be waiting here a while," Killua said.

"Yeah," Gon and I agreed.

"You will stay on this island for exactly one week," Khara told us. "During that time, you must amass your six points of ID tags and return here. Alright then, the first person may start!"

A guy dressed in a joker theme walked off the boat.

"That's Hisoka," Killua told me.

I tensed up and glanced at Gon. He had that determined look in his eyes. He would hunt down Hisoka, but what then?

"Two minutes have passed," Khara told us. "The second person may start!"

I noticed her step away from the pin head that walked off the boat.

After two minutes she told the third person to start.

I caught a downwind of the scent of the wretched creature sitting on 118's shoulder. He would be simple to find, no matter how hard he tried to hide. My eyes were sharper than most humans as well as my nose, ears and touch. It did make fights a lot more painful, but it made me aware of my weaknesses and how to protect them.

Finally Gon ran off the boat, telling Kurapika, Leorio, and me goodbye.

Kurapika walked up to me, "What are you going to do?"

"Gon doesn't want my help. I might help Killua though because he doesn't know who his target is."

Leorio laughed as he patted me on the back, "Playing the field!"

I punched his face into the deck, "Idiot, I don't like Gon or Killua!"

Khara called me and I walked off the boat. There was no telling where he was for now. I would have to wait. I climbed up a tree and found a higher tree on a hill. After jumping down, I wandered to the higher tree and waited for a wind to bring the scent to me. When I finally caught the scent, the sun was already setting.

Though that wasn't a problem for me, the monkey would be more alert. I yawned as I stayed in the tree, keeping my senses alert in case the person hunting me came while I was in the tree. Then again, I had hid my tag so quickly, they may not have known who I was.

When the sun rose, I still had the wind on my side. I jumped out of the tree and followed the scent of the monkey. It was mid afternoon when I caught up with the monkey who, to my surprise had Leorio's tag. I took the tag back and dropped from the tree.

It was like hell broke loose when the monkey attacked. I kicked the stupid beast away, doing my best not to let my fear show then noticed the man, who was also monkey like, and pulled a knife then put it to the monkey's throat. He froze.

"Tag or the monkey's dead," I told him icily.

He tossed a tag forward. I picked it up. #16.

"Your tag," I specified, putting the knife closer to the monkey's throat. "Tonpa's tag won't do me any good. You have three seconds."

"I lost it!" He panicked. "To that kid! The blonde one! #404!"

Kurapika.

"Empty your pockets," I told him. "Then strip down just in case," I told him.

I heard a chuckle from behind me, "No need for drastic measures, Costa," I heard Kurapika say. "Here's the tag you're looking for."

I released the monkey and sneered at the man, "Get out of here before I kill both of you."

He glared at me, "Give me Tonpa's tag!"

I scoffed. "That is a fight you will not win," I assured him. "Go find your target. You'd have better luck."

He ran off and I turned to Kurapika and Leorio. They both looked pretty tired.

"Been chasing after him?" I asked with a smile.

Kurapika smiled, "He swapped tags with my target, Tonpa then fooled us into thinking that Leorio was his target when Leorio was Tonpa's target. It was clever plan. Do you really have Tonpa's tag?"

I smiled as I held it up, "Of course. And Leorio's as well."

Leorio smiled as I tossed them their tags and Kurapika handed me the one he had gotten.

"Are you going to search for Killua now?" Kurapika asked.

Leorio gave me that weird grin, "So, what's between the three of you?"

I huffed, "If it will make you shut up, Gon is the brother that I was searching for. My name is Costa Freecss."

Leorio stood completely stunned, "Oh man…and Gon doesn't know? When are you going to tell him?"

"After the Hunter Exam," I told him. "I don't want it to be a distraction. It was pretty hard for me to handle when I found out so I don't know how he's going to handle it. He may take it pretty well. He wants me to travel with him to search for Dad…so if we go back to Whale Island, I may talk with his family there and see how they want to talk with him about it. Mom's probably dead by now, so there's no going to Fox Tail Cove and talking with her about it." I sighed as I looked at the two and smiled, "Well, I'm going to see what food the island has to offer. I'm pretty hungry. And I'm pretty curious to see who's trying to kill me. Maybe Killua knows. Maybe I'll run into Gon, who knows."

Kurapika stopped me by grabbing my arm, "How did you find us?"

"I could smell the monkey," I told him. "Why?"

"We were told Ponzu uses a specific chemical as her attack method. Perhaps you could point us in the right direction before you go looking for food?" Kurapika asked.

"Sure, do you want me to go with you?" I asked.

They both smiled gratefully and nodded. Guess I was a bloodhound now.


	12. Knife Fishing

As I followed the scent of the chemicals, I also noticed something else. Another smell had been getting progressively closer to us as we travelled.

So, I was right. The brothers were targeting Gon, Killua, and me because we were children.

I sighed as I stopped walking, "Sorry guys," I told them. "The wind is blowing in too many directions to catch a definite course. But, the west wind had the strongest smell, but I was also getting it from the south, so you should try that way as well. She should be in that general area."

They would also cross paths with Gon who could direct them to her, if he was anything like me.

Kurapika and Leorio smiled at me. "Thanks," Leorio said.

"Are you going after Killua or Gon?" Kurapika asked.

"I think Killua is closer," I told him. "His scent was the strongest from the east," I said, pointing from behind me. "But, I do wish you both the best. Good luck, Leorio. I hope I helped enough."

"You did!" He said with a smile and the two wandered off.

I started my way toward Killua. Before the end of the day, I found him walking down a path. I ran up to him and walked next to him. He just sighed as we walked.

"This has been so boring," he told me. "I haven't seen anyone since we got here. And some guy has been following me the entire time. It's been so lame."

I just smiled as we walked on. After a moment, we made it to a stream and I grinned, "Finally! I'm so hungry! You want something, Killua?"

"You're going to fish without a rod?" He asked curiously.

I snickered, "Remember what Gon said? Think like a fish."

I pulled out my knife and rolled up my pants then stepped into the cool river.

Killua just sat on the edge with his head propped on his arm as he watched.

With a swift movement, I had speared a fish on my knife. I smiled at Killua as he stared in amazement.

"How'd you do that?"

"Get in, I'll show you."

He went through my back and paused a moment then pulled out a picture. I felt my heart sink when he flipped it over and his eyes widened a bit, "Gon…" He looked at me, "Gon's your brother."

I nodded as I looked away, "I don't want to tell him yet. I didn't handle the news so well when I was told. I didn't speak to anyone in my family for at least two months. I don't want Gon to be distracted during the Hunter Exam, so it's best to wait until after."

Killua put the picture back then pulled out my knife and got in the water.

"Now, you gotta remember that the fish isn't actually where you think it is," I told him.

He gave me a confused look, "What?"

"Well, look at your legs," I said. "See how they sort of look broken? Water changes the way things look. So, the fish isn't where you think it is. You have to hit a little behind the fish to get it. And you want the fish not to be on top of your foot or by your leg on your first try because you will stab yourself. Most of the time it's better to start bare handed, but that's hard too because there's a chance the fish will get away since they're slimy."

Killua nodded and watched as I quickly stabbed a fish again then pulled it off the knife and tossed it onto the bank. I smiled at him, "You try."

Killua watched the fish with sharp eyes. Those were eyes of an expert. I smiled a bit as he stabbed at a fish and sliced it but didn't catch it. I quickly reached in and caught it so it wouldn't have to suffer with a fatal wound like that and tossed it to the shore.

He looked at my knife for a moment, "You keep them sharp," he noted. "If you know you're going to use them in those type of fights, why do you keep them so sharp?"

"Can you imagine standing on a dull blade?" I asked him. "That would hurt so much worse.A sharp blade allows clean, precise cuts.All I have to do is maneuver my foot on the blade and I get minimal damage done to the bottom of my foot. Though the cuts are deep, the tissue will heal back normally. A dull blade won't allow that. Plus I can't spear a fish with a dull blade. And I use the blades for more than knife edge death matches. I use them for basic hand to hand combat as well. They're all I've got besides what little fighting I can do."


	13. Life Stories

I grabbed some sticks and skewered the fish as Killua built a fire.

"So, what's it like…having this secret while Gon has no idea?" Killua asked.

I shoved the sticks into the ground allowing the fish to cook and thought it over, "It's hard. He's so determined to find Dad…it's like nothing else matters. But, when I was told that Dad and Gon were still alive…nothing else mattered to me. I was going to become a Hunter and I was going to find them."

"Why Gon first?"

"We're two halves of one whole," I said. "And I figured he'd want to know the truth too. He…invited me to look for Dad when this is over, in hopes of finding my brother along the way."

I wiped a tear away and laughed a bit, "I guess it's not as obvious as I think it is."

"After you point it out, it's obvious," Killua told me. "But where did you get the hair? No one has that color hair."

"We're not sure," I said honestly. "But, look," I said as I pushed it flat against my head. "My roots have turned black. It's turning colors."

Killua gave me a strange look, "You and Gon are weird."

I smiled a bit as I turned the fish, "Makes it interesting. So, what are you going to do after the Hunter Exam?"

He sighed, "I have no idea. I don't want to go home, that's for sure."

"Why don't you come with me and Gon?" I asked. "We'll end up traveling the world to find our father. Perhaps you'll find what you want to do along the way. Who knows, maybe we will too._"_

"What are you going to do after you find your dad?" Killua asked as I handed him a fish.

I shrugged and took a knife then cut off a piece of meat so I wouldn't have to deal with the bones or intestines.

"Whatever the world wants me to," I said. "Maybe go back to Fox Tail Cove. See what's going on. Settle a few scores."

Killua glared at his fish, "I keep biting into the bones!"

I laughed as I took it from him and expertly filleted it for him. "There."

"And you don't fish?" He asked suspiciously.

"I have before," I said. I put my hand over my chest, "But it made me depressed. I couldn't use a fishing rod like Gon. I had to use a knife or spear or my hands. Then Gran Gran told me that Dad was a good fisherman. I guess he used to take me and Gon fishing. Or just Gon…because Gon's good with a rod."

"He must have wanted to keep you together for you to be able to cut a fish like this," Killua said as he looked at the meat I had cut him. "He could catch it and you could cut it."

I sighed, "Yeah, but we got separated. And Gon got the better part of the deal."

"What makes you think that?" Killua asked.

"You, Kurapika, Leorio, and the people following us know the truth now. Gon's still left out in the cold, oblivious to it. He thinks I'm dead. Has for his whole life. When I turned 12, Gran Gran told me that Dad and Gon were still alive. No one bothered to tell Gon. I…almost feel bad about being alive. Gon deserves to be happy. I don't want to ruin his family by showing up."

"Then don't tell him," Killua said. "You did what you were going to do. You found your brother. All you have to do now is find someone born in the same year as you that's died and claim him as your brother when you go to a cemetery and tell Gon you found your brother and he died. Problem solved. You'll get to stay with Gon and he'll never have to know."

"What's going to happen when we find Dad?" I asked him.

Killua shrugged, "He'll understand."

I sighed as I fell onto my back, "You are useless, Killua. Absolutely useless."

"Then stop whining and tell him," he told me. "You don't know when you'll go to Whale Island with him, since I guess that will be your home as well."

That was a whole different concept to me. I hadn't even considered it.

I groaned, "Just stop talking, Killua. I don't want to think about it anymore. Tell me about your family."

"They're assassins," he said bluntly. "What more is there to know?"

"Well, you talked pretty fondly of your father," I said. "So, they can't all be that bad."

He sighed a bit and I sat up to look at him. He had a thoughtful look on his face. "I guess…" he said. "My old man's impressive," he told me. "That doesn't mean I like him any more than the others. My mother is a pain, though. She freaks out every time I step outside. It's so annoying! I have an older brother, Illumi that helped train me, and another older brother, Milluki, but I call him Piggy. He never leaves his room and I swear he's addicted to video games. I have two younger brothers, Alluka, but he's been missing forever, and Kalluto, he never leaves my mother's side."

"Why's your mother so protective?" I asked.

"They think I'm some sort of prodigy," he said. "But, I don't think I should live up to it. That's why I'm taking the Hunter Exam. To do something else other than assassination."

My feet met together and I rested my arm on knee as I looked at him thoughtfully, "You know…that doesn't mean you'll not be killing. After the First Phase it became evident that dying was possible, but after Trick Tower, it became evident that killing would be an option in our futures."

"I guess everyone didn't have the same fantastic adventure we did," Killua said as he laid down and stared at the stars, "Especially since we have the chance to kill off everyone, if we could find them."

"Your mother does realize that protecting you will prevent you from becoming the prodigy she wants you to become, right?" I asked.

He looked at me, "What do you mean?"

"By protecting you the way she's doing, it's holding you back from reaching your full potential. You could probably be twice as strong as you are now if she would leave you alone. Not only that, but you would probably want to be an assassin, but because she's pushing you towards it, you're pulling from it. Just how it is."

"So, did you get your tag?"

"Yeah. I had to threaten to kill the monkey then I traveled around with Leorio and Kurapika before I noticed one of the brothers following me, so I decided to lead him to you in case he was one with your number."

"Leorio's been annoying me and Gon," Killua said angrily. "He keeps asking which of us has a crush on you."

"I cleared that up with him," I sighed. "It was probably a mistake, but I had to tell him. I'm sorry he bothered you."

"Dirty old man," he grumbled.

I laughed a bit. If there was anything about Leorio, it would be that he was a pervert.

I sighed a bit, "Do you think we'll see them after this?"

"See who?"

"Kurapika and Leorio."

"Maybe Kurapika, but Leorio wants to become a doctor, so I doubt it."

"Then why take the Hunter Exam?"

"Money," Killua told me. "He said something about either selling it or getting a loan. I stop listening when he talks."

I smiled then sighed, "I hope Tonpa doesn't make it to the next round."

Killua laughed, "You think he's going to survive this island for a week?! With Hisoka on it? If he crosses Hisoka's path, Hisoka is probably going to kill him."

"I don't know, is Tonpa even worth killing?" I asked.

Killua was silent for a moment, considering the thought.

"Ok, to us he is because he tried to ruin us in Trick Tower, but I don't know his relationship with Hisoka, so let's just assume there is no relationship. Would Hisoka even bother wasting the time on someone we wouldn't even look at twice?"

"Good point," Killua said. He looked at me, "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I'm not tired," I told him.

"You barely slept in Trick Tower. I know you aren't like me. I can go two or three days without sleep."

"It's not like that," I said. "I can't sleep when there are people watching me. One time there was a man watching the house for a week. Didn't sleep all week. I was fine. I slept pretty good after that, but when I'm aware of something, I'm not going to let it get me. One of them is actually after my tag."

"How can you tell?"

"The intensity of his gaze."

"Do you want to keep walking?"

"We can," I agreed. "No sense in just being a sitting duck."

We got up and I stomped out the fire and we started on our way deeper into the island.

I had no idea how long we had been there. The days seemed to blend together. As we walked amongst the trees, it was almost eerie how they had made a tunnel for us to walk through.

Killua stopped walking and looked back. "You're wasting your time," he told whoever was following us. There were so many it was hard to tell which one he was talking to. "I'll never give you an opening to attack."

"I am a very cautious man," I heard someone say from a bush.

Clearly not cautious enough. I looked at Killua, "Do you want to know where he is?"

"Man," Killua groaned. "You already found him? That's no fun." He looked around, "If you're not going to show yourself, I'll come to you."

"Huh?" I heard the man gasp.

Killua started walking forward as I pointed to where the guy was, "What a pain. You're only worth one point to me."

I heard something land behind me. I was ready to draw my knives, but the sharp blade to my throat told me I hadn't moved quick enough. Whoever it was chuckled. "My, my, some sharp blades you got here. Hand over your tag or we'll find out just how sharp they are."


	14. Rotation

Killua was standing there watching me with curiosity as the man pushed the blade into my neck, "Don't make me search your corpse, girl!"

I sighed as I reached into my pocket then made my evasive action of trying to elbow him in the stomach. To my misfortune, the knife went up the side of my face, leaving a nice gash up the side of my face, but missing my eye.

I glared at the man as he smirked, "You're not the only one in this that's from Fox Tail Cove, kid. How about it? Let's do something you've never done before."

I narrowed my eyes as my foot shifted so I would be in front of Killua. The man chuckled, "Don't worry, your friend won't be involved. I've already grabbed three other fighters. They were excited when they heard about fighting in a rotation."

I pulled my other knife from my back pocket and quickly cut off my long braid and tossing it to the side. I didn't really care how ridiculous I looked.

A rotation was hard to handle. It was five fighters. All stood in a circle-like formation, but a star was drawn in the center. The man that had called the rotation could decide who fought who. But it always had to follow the star formation, initially.

Every fighter was given a number, 1-5. Fighter #1 would attack fighter #2 while blocking fighter #5's attacks. There was no surrendering in a rotation after it began. It was a fight to the death. And it was a mind game. The fighters had to remember their numbers and move up the rank, unless they were number five, in which they would start over at number one. They also had to remember the other fighters' numbers and who they were, so if any were wearing identical masks, it made the fights very hard. Weapons were permitted. If another fighter dropped a weapon at any moment, the weapon was free game; anyone could pick it up, if they wanted to risk it.

Only one person could walk away from a rotation. There were five fighters and if the other fighters were carrying tags, then they could get their six points. That was why they agreed.

I nodded, my knife in my hand. "Very well. If it's a rotation you want, it's a rotation you'll get."

He chuckled as the three other fighters dropped from the trees. I had no idea who any of them were, but I doubted any of them would be a challenge.

"What's going on?" Killua asked as he walked up.

"A rotation," I said as the man that had attacked me started drawing a star on the ground. "Another traditional fight from Fox Tail Cove, but one I wasn't permitted to fight in because I was too young. Only one of us is going to walk away alive."

"Only one, huh?" Killua asked. "So you've got to kill all four of them? What's he drawing then?"

"The rules of a rotation. We're each going to be given a number. He gets to choose since he called the rotation. And we have to remember our number and each others. But, we have to follow the star. So if I'm 1, he's got to be 2," I pointed at the guy attached to my line, "then 3, 4, and 5. While I'm attacking 5, 4 will attack me. I have to block his attacks while attacking 1."

Killua stared at me. "What happens when you kill 1?"

"I become 1 and I have to kill 2. Since no one is 5 anymore, 4 can choose to continue come after me or block 3 but he cannot kill 3 because someone else is already trying to kill 3."

"Then what happens?"

"He has to wait until someone else becomes 3, unless 2 gets killed. When it gets down to two people that aren't connected, they just try to kill each other off. But it's hard because the lines get smudged up and no one knows who's supposed to attack who. So, most of the time it becomes a kill-for-all."

"That sounds fun," Killua said.

I flicked his forehead, "Just wait."

He rubbed his forehead and stepped back as the four fighters and me took a corner on the star. That man still had my knife. And that was unforgivable.

He pointed to himself, "1." He followed the line to another man, "2." He followed the next line to the next man, "3." That line landed to me, "4." My line lead to… "5."

My attention was directly on five.

In three seconds, we would begin this massacre.

Three…

Two…

One.


	15. A Reason for Haircuts

Before Fighter 3, a thin eyed man with grey hair, had the chance to attack me, I had a my knife through Fighter 5's throat. Fighter 1, who had challenged the rotation was already at two, so I had to wait. Soon, he had taken out three.

He laughed a bit as he looked at me, licking the edge of my blade. The hairs on my arms raised in agitation. How dare he treat my knives like that…

Within an instant, I jumped at him, my rage taking over my better judgment. I saw him reach for something so I stopped and jumped to the right, away from whatever he had reached for. My sudden stop had brought the dirt up into a cloud, hiding both of us from each other.

I saw the smoke move. I waited for a moment. Nothing happened.

I continued waiting.

There was a major shift in the dust, so I threw my knife. I heard a groan, so I knew I hit him, but it wasn't fatal.

As the dust settled, both of us could clearly see each other. My knife was past Killua and I was officially weaponless unless I stole from one of the corpses around me. And the only thing useful they had was…I picked up a saber. It was nowhere near as sharp as my knife, but it would have to do.

I had sliced the man's right thigh. It was deep, so he had barely dodged it.

He laughed as he looked at me, "That's pretty good, kid. Let's see how you can do without your knife now."

He attacked me. I dodged it and he pulled a sword out which sliced my stomach. I growled as I slid back and covered it with my hand. I was only scratched but the blood was annoying. I got up and attacked back.

My knife was top priority now. Not my life, though it was pretty important too, I guess.

I fought hard against this man. I was angry. He had my knife and I wanted it back. That anger seemed to grow as the more I thought about it, and my moves only got more vicious and more precise as I swung the saber.

He was landing a fair amount of blows as well. I was covered in deep gashes and light scratches.

The man pushed me back when he knew I was about to defeat him. It was a coward's move. Someone that couldn't accept death would retreat like that.

I growled as I glared at him, ready to attack again.

"Y-You don't run out of energy do you?" He asked, clearly exhausted.

"You stole something of mine," I snarled. "I want it back."

"Y-You just want your knife back?" He asked. "Here. Take it."

He threw it in front of me.

"I'm through fighting," he admitted. "I can't take anymore."

I dropped the saber and stepped on the hilt of the knife causing it to jump into my hand, "Then I'll kill you with my own weapon."

He stared at me, "What? I surrender!"

I started walking to him, "You challenged me to a rotation," I said, "I may be under age, but I do know the rules. If I was to accept your surrender, Killua would have to kill me. I won't allow that to happen. You should have realized that someone who volunteers for Knife Edge Death Matches at Fox Tail Cove can stand up to a rotation."

He made a last attempt to kill me by trying to catch me off guard and swinging his sword, but I easily blocked it with my knife. With a quick slice across his throat, he was dead.

Killua walked up to me and handed me my other knife. "I bet those are pretty interesting if the right people are fighting," he said.

I ripped a piece of the man's shirt off and wiped the blood off. "Yeah, but only then. Sometimes they can go on for hours. Just depends. It's pretty hard though, blocking one guy and attacking another. If it was a circle, it'd probably be easier because the circle would just tighten, but it's a star."

Killua sighed, "Yeah, I'd just kill everyone and be done with it."

I laughed, "Takes the fun out of it."

I put the knives in my back pockets and we walked away from the corpses, leaving them for the strange red butterflies.

"We should look for Leorio," Killua said. "He got a few good hits on you. He'll need to bandage you up."

"Nah," I said. "I'm more worried about what they'll say when they see I cut my hair off."

"Why did you do that?" Killua asked curiously.

"If the guy attacking me had grabbed my hair, I wouldn't have been able to attack the guy I needed to attack. Made me an easy target."

He blinked a few times, "You really thought that through."

"No, I experienced it," I told him. "One guy made a cheap move on me in a match one time and pulled my hair when it was longer than that. He was able to hold me in place and beat me to the ground."

I sighed, "You'd think I'd learn, but this is just so hard to cut, I hate it."

Killua touched it then made a weird face, "It's nasty."

I laughed, "Idiot, I haven't exactly washed it in a while. It's been a while since any of us have had a decent bath. Hopefully, the Final Phase will give us some sort of rest."

"Yeah," he agreed. "We should probably head back to the starting point."


	16. End of the Fourth Phase

"The Fourth Phase of the exam has just ended," a female voice announced as Killua and I neared the beach. "Will the applicants please return to the starting point at once? You will be given one hour extra time. If you do not return during this time, you will fail the exam. Furthermore, you are not allowed to exchange tags after reaching the starting point. Anyone caught swapping tags will be disqualified."

"Think Gon made it?" Killua asked as we walked toward the starting point.

I smiled as I nodded, "Yeah. He made it."

He smiled, "You sound certain of that."

I punched him in the back of the head, "Don't question me! I'll have to drop out if Gon didn't make it."

He rubbed the back of his head with a glare, "Why?"

"Because I'm finishing with Gon," I said as we started to climb up some rocks towards the cliff where we had started. "Even if it means waiting another year, I'll finish with Gon."

Killua gave me a strange look when we got to the top where all the other applicants were, "That's extreme, don't you think?"

"No," I said. "He's my brother. Why wouldn't I finish with him?"

"You didn't start with him," Killua pointed out.

"I did," I said. "I just didn't know it."

"So you were going to finish without him," Killua said slyly. "Then you were going to look for him."

I just glared at him while he gave a fake innocent smile.

The plank hit the land and Khara walked across, "Then we will now check the tags of everyone here! #44, Hisoka!"

I looked at the strange joker man. He held up four tags.

"#53, Pokkle!"

The guy with the purple turban held up two tags.

"#99, Killua!"

Killua held up his two tags.

"#207, Costa!"

I held up my two tags.

"#307, Gittarackur!"

The pinhead held up his two tags.

"#191, Bodoro!"

An old man held up his two tags.

"#294, Hanzo!"

A bald headed guy dressed in some strange outfit held up four tags.

"So, six applicants have passed?" Khara asked.

I felt sick. Gon wasn't here.

"Gon." Killua said as a smile formed on his face.

I followed his gaze and allowed a sigh of relief to escape. He looked almost as bad as I did. Leorio definitely looked worse.

"Ah, three more have arrived at the last second!" Khara announced. "And now for the last few members. #404, Kurapika!"

Kurapika showed his two tags.

"#403, Leorio!"

Leorio had a strained grin as he showed his two tags. So, he found Ponzu…

"And, #405, Gon."

Gon showed his two tags. I smiled. He had gotten it from Hisoka.

"These ten applicants have passed the Fourth Phase of the exam!"

When we looked up, there was an airship. After we boarded the airship, I found a window to sit in and just sat there, watching as we took off. I was beat.

"So, a girl made it to the finals?" The bald weird dressed guy said. "How about that?"

I just kept my attention out the window. I needed to concentrate on my wounds, not him being all insulting. I sighed as I pushed myself out of the window and wandered down the hall. Leorio would help.

When I found him, he was with Gon and Kurapika and I wasn't in the mood for all that, so I climbed in another window and waited.

"Pathetic," Leorio said. "I needed the two of you and Costa to do everything for me during the Fourth Phase. I promise I'll return the favor."

I pushed myself out of the window and wandered to him, "Then start returning," I told him.

Their eyes widened as they stared at me.

"Damn," Leorio muttered. "What happened?"

"Just clean my wounds and put some bandages on them," I told him. "I'll tell you about it then."

Leorio took me to a private room with Kurapika and Gon and started bandaging me up.

"So, what happened?" Kurapika pressed.

"A rotation," I said as Leorio started cleaning my face. "Another applicant was from Fox Tail Cove and challenged me to it. He claimed he was from Fox Tail, but I don't believe he was. If he was, he would have never challenged a rotation. In a rotation, there are five fighters. While one person is attacking you, you're attacking another person. You either have to choose to block or attack, but if you choose to block and your person moves on, you can't follow them. You have to stay where you are and continue to block until the person you're blocking dies. In my fight, the others died pretty quickly and it was just me and the guy that challenged the rotation. He took one of my knives which put me at a disadvantage and then I foolishly threw my other away while I had a dust cloud around me. When I had worn him out, he decided to surrender. I couldn't let him do that."

"Why not?" Gon asked.

"Rotations are fought in front of witnesses for a reason. Killua was the witness. If I had spared his life, Killua would have had to kill me."

Kurapika sighed, breaking the tension in the room. "The…traditions of your home are…interesting."

I chuckled, "Rotations aren't meant for children. That's probably why he challenged me to it. We don't fight in them until we're 17."


	17. Interview

Once Leorio was done bandaging me, someone began announcing something, "I have an announcement for all applicants. The chairman wishes to interview the remaining candidates."

"Interview?" Gon asked.

"When your number is called, please come to the first reception room, on the second floor," the man finished announcing. "Then we will start with #44, Hisoka."

Gon's expression changed. Somehow…Hisoka had defeated Gon on the island. I could feel it. And I hated that feeling.

I listened as everyone was called to the interview.

"#207, Costa."

I sighed as I walked into the room and found Chairman Netero sitting there. He stared at me for a moment. "Have a seat."

I sat down on the pillow.

"So, tell me why you want to be a Hunter?"

"I came to find my brother."

"And did you?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't know yet."

"Oh?"

"Gon Freecss is my twin," I said with a smile. "We were separated when we were young and I didn't know about him until I turned 12. Gon's basically been told that me and Mom are dead and I didn't want the news to be something to cloud his judgment in the Hunter Exam."

"I see, so, have you been watching anyone?"

"Not really," I replied. "I mean, Killua said to watch out for Hisoka, but he doesn't seem so bad and I've been watching out for Gon."

"Is there anyone you wouldn't want to fight?"

"Gon and Killua, definitely," I replied. "Anyone else I'm fine with."

Netero studied me for a moment, "Are you sure you want to continue to the Final Phase?"

I blinked, "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"It looks like you got some serious injuries in the last phase. You're excused."

I stood up and walked out. That was a weird interview. When I walked out, Kurapika was waiting for me, a concerned look on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm worried about Gon," he said. "He's been acting strange since the Fourth Phase."

"Then let's go talk to him," I said. I looked back to the room.

"Is something bothering you?" Kurapika asked.

"The Chairman wants me to drop out," I told him. "He asked if I was certain I wanted to continue to the Final Phase."

"It is something to consider," Kurapika said. "You have suffered a great amount of injuries, much worse than Leorio and Gon. They had snake bites and the anti-venom. You are covered in cuts and some may need stitches."

I shrugged, "I'll be fine."

When we found Gon, he was staring out the window, watching the world below.

"Gon," Kurapika started.

"Hm?"

"Did something happen during the Fourth Phase? When we met up, you were acting a little strange. And you've been somewhat subdued since we left Zevil Island."

"My target was Hisoka," Gon told him.

I saw the surprise on Kurapika's face.

"I waited for the perfect chance and stole his tag," Gon said, telling his tale of what happened on the island, "but someone else was tailing me, and he got me with a poisoned dart. Soon after, Hisoka took back his tag from the person who got me, and left it with me. He said that I owed him."

"Hisoka said that?" Kurapika questioned.

"I told him I didn't need his help," Gon replied. "And he sent me flying. I was so mad that I couldn't do anything against him."

Gon was shaking with anger as tears fell from his eyes. I felt the angry tears in my own eyes as I gently rubbed his back. After a moment, Gon rubbed his eyes and forced a smile and laugh.

"After that, I was pretty miserable and lonely," Gon admitted. "I felt so helpless. I wanted company, I wanted to help someone," I watched as he bumped his thumbs together, as if he was remembering something, "I guess. That's why I was looking for you two."

"Gon," Kurapika said. "Leorio and I have only been able to make it this far because of you." He smiled at my brother, "We're truly grateful."

Gon smiled back, "I'd also like to thank you."

I looked out the window to watch the world. Gon was truly someone to admire while I was just…low. While he found ways around situations, I was forced into murdering. I sighed as I closed my eyes.

I would never forget the pain…

Everyone on Fox Tail Cove had the mark. A crescent moon with a fox head and tail on my right shoulder. It was mandatory for everyone to get it when they turned ten, if they were born on the island.

With the mark came the obligation to follow the rules of the island. The only way to get out of that obligation would be to cover it…

I was willing to do that.


	18. Never Show Pain

When the airship landed, we were at a really nice place. I wasn't sure where we were, but the place was really open and relaxing. The open archways made the walking areas leading to the buildings seem less intimidating for the very official place. It was definitely for Hunters, from what I could tell. We were all assembled in a massive room. All the previous examiners were there and some men in some suits.

"Well, gentlemen and young lady. Did you get plenty of rest?" Chairman Netero asked us. "This hotel is owned by the Hunter Exam Selection Committee. The place is all yours until the battles have concluded."

A…something…on wheels was pushed out next to the old man. I couldn't tell what it was because it was covered by a sheet.

"For the Final Phase, we will be holding a one-on-one tournament," Chairman Netero explained. He pulled the sheet off, showing how we would fight. I blinked as I stared at it. Only one of us would pass?

"So the last person standing passes?" Someone asked.

"No," Chairman Netero said. "One win is all you need to pass."

"One win?" Gon and I asked.

"Then, in this tournament…" Leorio started.

"The winners are removed from competition, while the losers continue up the bracket. In other words, the person who finishes at the top will not pass. Does everyone understand now?"

"So you're saying only one person will fail?" The bald guy asked. "With a little girl in the group and only one person will fail?"

"Exactly," Chairman Netero said. "And here's the bracket."

He pulled off the piece of cloth at the bottom. It had our pictures with our numbers on it. I was going to be fighting the old man. The first fight was Gon and the bald guy that had a problem with me.

"Impressive, right?" Chairman Netero asked. "After all, everyone has at least two chances to win."

"But some people, like #294 and #405, get five chances," the guy with the purple turban pointed out.

"Why didn't you use a balanced bracket?" The old man I would fight asked.

"A question that must be on everyone's mind," Chairman Netero stated.

Not mine. I didn't even know it wasn't balanced.

"This bracket was assembled based on your performances throughout the entire exam. Those who performed better received more chances," he explained.

"That doesn't sound right," Killua said. "Can you explain how you scored our performances?"

Chairman Netero smirked a bit. "NO!"

"Why not?!" Killua asked annoyed.

The Chairman laughed, "Your scores are classified information. So I can't tell you everything. But I can explain our methods. First, we consider three major criteria: physical strength, mental strength, and overall impression. For physical strength, we used an aggregate of agility, flexibility, endurance, and perception. For mental strength, we used an aggregate of resilience, adaptability, judgment, and creativity. However, this information is only used as a reference point. After all, you were all strong enough to advance to the Final Phase. However, we are most concerned with your overall impression. This refers to any intangible factors not previously mentioned. You could consider this an evaluation of your potential as a Hunter. And we also incorporate the opinion of your peers. That was our process," he concluded.

"The battle rules are quite simple," Chairman Netero started again. "Weapons are allowed. No cheating. If your opponent admits defeat, you win. However! If you kill your opponent, you will be immediately disqualified. All remaining applicants will pass, and the exam will end. Are we clear?"

"Then we shall begin the Final Phase," someone announced.

The ref for Gon's match stepped forward, "The first match is Hanzo versus Gon. Please step forward."

I glanced at the board. Depending on this fight would depend on who I fought if I lost to the old man.

"I will serve as the referee," the man told the two fighters. "My name is Masta. Good luck to you both."

"Hey, good to see you again," Hanzo said to Masta.

Masta looked at him.

"You were tailing me during the Fourth Phase," Hanzo said.

"You noticed?" Masta asked.

"Naturally," Hanzo bragged. "I'm assuming that each applicant was assigned an examiner for the Fourth Phase. Well, I'm sure everyone else noticed."

"I thought it wasn't worth mentioning," Kurapika told Leorio.

"Shut up," I hissed at Kurapika. "Gon and I didn't notice."

I clenched my fists as I bit my lip, waiting for the fight.

Don't let him get in your head Gon… Don't let him win…

"You have my thanks," Hanzo said. "My ranks were higher because your reports on me were accurate. Though the outcome was never in doubt!"

"Y-Yes…" Masta said.

"Moving on," Hanzo said as he pointed at Masta's face, "I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"We only win if our opponent surrenders, correct?" Hanzo asked. "It doesn't count if we knock them unconscious. No TKOs, either."

"Yes, that is correct," Masta responded.

Masta backed away from them, "Now then, it's time to begin."

Gon took a few steps back, getting ready for the fight. Hanzo simply changed his stance to a defensive one.

"Begin!"

Gon had a quick push off, getting distance between them, but Hanzo easily outmatched his speed. The shock on Gon's face and the sudden shock in my heart worried me. Gon was in trouble.

"You must be confident in your legs," Hanzo said. "You have my respect."

He hit Gon in the back of the neck so hard I fell to the ground.

"You did well for a kid," Hanzo told him as I got back up and rubbed the back of my neck. "Well, this would already be over if it were a normal fight." Hanzo picked Gon up and pushed his back against his knee, "Here, wake up. You must feel terrible. I hit you hard enough to make your brain bounce around. Do you understand? You have no chance against me. Might as well give up now."

"No way," Gon strained to say.

Hanzo smacked him in the head and my vision went blurry. He knew if he lost this fight, he had already weakened his next opponent. I didn't let myself fall when Hanzo looked at me then looked back at Gon.

"Think about it," Hanzo said. "If you surrender now, you'll still be in decent shape for your next fight. There's no reason to be stubborn. Just surrender."

"Never gonna happen!" Gon yelled.

He punched Gon in the face and my nose started to bleed. Gon's face was on the floor as Hanzo looked at me, "Surrender," he told Gon.

I shook my head vigorously. Gon wasn't going to. I wasn't either.

Gon slowly pushed himself up off the floor to where he was supporting himself on his hands and knees. He slowly climbed back to his feet. Hanzo looked rather annoyed and pushed another attack. Right in Gon's crotch.

Gon's eyes widened, as did mine. That was a low blow for anyone. I held my stomach as my lower stomach ached in pain.

"Gon! Don't be silly! You still have another chance!" Leorio yelled.

"It's…not just his fight," I told Leorio weakly.

Leorio looked at me and his eyes widened, "Costa…what happened?"

"Hanzo…isn't taking risks," I managed to say as the pain in my stomach subsided. "He must have been following me and Killua on Zevil Island. He's hitting him hard enough for me to feel it. If he loses to Gon, and I lose to the old man, I'll have to fight him."

Leorio glared at Hanzo, "That bastard…He thinks he's hot stuff."

Kurapika was angry too, "If you were in Gon's position, would you surrender?"

"Hell, no!" Leorio replied.

"Gon feels the same way," Kurapika said.

"I know!" Leorio exclaimed, "I know that but there isn't any other choice! Look at Costa."

"You're contradicting yourself," Kurapika spat angrily. "But I understand how you feel."

Hanzo kicked Gon in the stomach, throwing him a good few feet back while I endured the blow and just fell to the ground and coughed up blood. Just as I was about to get up, I was slammed back down.

Blow after blow, I endured with Gon. I don't know how Hanzo was making me feel it, but I felt it.

"It's been three hours," the guy with the purple turban announced.

Gon was a bloody mess on the floor. I was looking just as bad from just falling and getting up again. The wounds Leorio had bandaged had reopened and were bleeding through.

"There's nothing left for either of them to vomit now," the old man I was supposed to fight said.

"Get up," Hanzo demanded.

"Enough, already," Leorio yelled. "I'm gonna kill you! I'll fight you in his place!"

"No," I whispered. "That's my job."

"If you can't take it, leave," Hanzo told him. "It's only going to get worse."

Worse…that was the answer. A slight smile formed on my lips as I took a breath and pushed myself up. Gon and I were going to fight this together, just like he was making us suffer together. We were going to do this with the pain endurance of Fox Tail Cove…and if I was taught anything that was to never show pain.


	19. Surrender

"What was that?!" Leorio yelled, ready to jump into the fight, but some refs jumped in the way.

"No one may interfere in a one-on-one match," Masta explained. "And if you step in, Gon will be the one disqualified!"

"It's ok," Gon said. "Leorio." He was barely standing, but he was standing, supporting himself by his knees, just the same as I was.

I smiled as I looked at him. After Kurapika and Hisoka's fight, I would be next with the old man.

"This is…nothing…" Gon told us. "I-I can still fight…" he said stubbornly.

Hanzo glared at him and knocked his feet out from under him. His attention moved to me and there was some shock on his face when he noticed I didn't fall. I showed no emotion as I watched him. My blood was boiling, but I could manage to hide it. For Gon…just a bit longer.

It was like an idea came to Hanzo's mind as he bent down and put his hands on Gon's shoulder and elbow.

"I'm going to break your arm," he told Gon.

Be strong Gon.

There was fear on his face, but I had faced worse pain than a broken arm.

"I'm not joking around," Hanzo said. "So give up. I know you're a nice kid and I should mention that I've been hitting you hard enough for another person in this room to be feeling your pain. I can't guarantee it won't break their arm."

I clenched my fists.

Take it Gon. I'll take it with you. I can fight with a broken arm.

"Surrender," Hanzo told him.

Determination crossed Gon's face. I smiled.

"Never!" Gon yelled.

The break was sickening. I didn't move when I felt the slight crack of my bone.

Gon…

I was definitely at a handicap now.

The guy with the purple turban wasn't even watching anymore, "He really broke his arm." His eyes landed on me, "How do you feel?"

"Mine broke as well," I replied.

"There you go," Hanzo said. "You can't use your left arm anymore."

I was left handed. I could hear Leorio's teeth grinding.

"Kurapika, Costa, don't try to stop me," Leorio said, his fists shaking. "If that bastard does anything else to Gon…Sorry Gon, but I can't stop myself."

"Me?" Kurapika asked. "Stop you? Don't worry. There is no chance of that happening."

"Then I'll stop you both," I told them. "Hanzo has given up."

Though their anger didn't die out, they both gave me a confused look.

"What?" Leorio asked.

"He broke Gon's left arm," I told them. "I'm pretty sure Gon's right handed. However, I'm left handed. When I fight Hanzo, if I dodge any attacks, my instinct will be to land on my left hand, which will further break my arm." I smirked, "He believes he can win against me by destroying me through a cheap trick. That's amusing."

"I'm sure you're in too much pain to listen, but hear me out," Hanzo told Gon. "I am descended of shinobi, a clan of covert agents." He was standing on one hand. "From the day I was born, I was forced to endure harsh training in order to master the art of ninpo. For 18 years, I have trained my body and technique, without rest. By the time I was your age, I had already killed a man." He was up on his fingertips. "At this point in time, you cannot defeat me in combat." He was on two fingers. "I'm trying to be nice." He was on one finger. "Admit defeat-"

Gon kicked him in the face. I smirked.

"Ow," Gon groaned in a high pitched whine.

Poor child. I would take all of his pain if I could.

"Dammit," he muttered as he sat up, holding his broken arm. "My head's cleared a bit, after all that pain and that long explanation."

I chuckled.

"Yes!" Leorio cheered. "Gon, go! Kick him while he's down!"

"If you're 18, you're only six years older than I am," Gon told him. "Besides, this isn't a battle to see who's stronger. It's to see who's willing to surrender first."

Hanzo jumped back from Gon, his nose bloody, "I let you kick me on purpose."

That was a lie.

"Liar!" Leorio yelled.

"You don't understand," Hanzo said as he wiped the blood from his face. "This isn't a warning. It's an ultimatum. Was it too hard for you to understand? Then I'll make it easier for you." He pulled a blade from under his bandaged arms. "I'll cut off your legs, so that they can't be reattached. A permanent injury should help wake you up."

I took a step forward.

"But first, I'll ask you once more," Hanzo said. "Surrender."

"I won't accept that!" Gon yelled.

Everyone went incredibly silent at his outburst while I just giggled.

"I don't want my legs cut off, but I don't want to surrender. So let's find a different way to fight!" Gon insisted.

I was biting my finger to hold my laughter back. Hanzo's face was priceless. He was SO pissed.

"Hey! Don't you understand your own situation?!" he growled at Gon.

Everyone was laughing, or trying to hold it back.

"You don't get to make demands!" Hanzo yelled. "Are you trying to insult me?! I'm seriously going to cut your legs off!"

"But I still will not surrender," Gon told him seriously. "Besides, if you do that, I'll bleed to death. He'll be disqualified if that happens, right?" Gon asked Masta.

"Oh, yes," Masta responded.

"See? Neither of us wants that to happen," Gon told him. "So let's think of a better way."

"I think he's ok now," Kurapika said relief taking his heart. "Gon's taken control."

"He's so self-centered," Leorio noted.

"But he's succeeded in convincing Hanzo and the rest of us. Honestly," Kurapika said with a sigh.

Hanzo stabbed Gon in the forehead so only the tip would pierce his skin. A light stream of blood trailed down his face.

"You really don't get it," Hanzo said. "If you die, you'll never get another chance. If I kill you here, I need only try again next year. We are not on equal footing!"

After a moment of staring at each other, Hanzo was shaken.

"Why won't you concede?" He asked Gon. "It's easy to do. You can try again next year. You value your pride more than your own life?! You're really willing to die for your pride?!"

"I'm going to find my dad," Gon answered.

"Your dad?" Hanzo asked, surprised by his answer and glancing at me.

I looked away.

"My dad is a Hunter," Gon continued. "So I'm going to become a Hunter and find him! I believe that I'll find him one day. But I have a feeling that if I give up now, I'll never find him! So I won't surrender."

"If you don't yield, you'll die," Hanzo told him.

He pushed Gon back then withdrew his blade. "I give up. You win. I can't kill you. But I can't think of a better way to make you surrender. I'll take this loss and take my chances with your sister."

I was pretty sure my heart stopped.


	20. Three

I could tell that out of all the pain Gon had endured during the fight, as he stared at me, searching for the answer to what Hanzo had just revealed…this was the greatest challenge yet.

As tears filled my eyes, I looked away, unable to hold Gon's gaze, "I'm sorry, Gon. I couldn't tell you…"

I heard a thud. I looked up to see Gon on the floor. He…he had fainted. But, before that, I had felt every emotion that had gone through him. Fear…uncertainty…excitement…happiness…confusion…be trayal. I knew that feeling well. The sudden shock that everything you knew was a lie.

I had puked when they told me about Gon and my father. Gon had endured so much…fainting was a good thing.

Hanzo reached for him, but I threw a knife that nearly cut off his hand.

"You will not touch him again," I snarled.

I walked out to Gon and carefully picked him up, supporting most of his weight on my right arm rather than my left. Soon, another ref took him from me and he was taken to the infirmary. I went to the wall and pulled my knife out then walked back to the group.

"Now that the truth is out, how are you going to handle it when he wakes up?" Kurapika asked me.

I kept my attention on the ground, "If he accepts it…I'll let him decide what he wants to do. I did not intend for it to go this way. But, I can't change it. At least he isn't suffering anymore."

As Hanzo returned to the sidelines, I heard Killua speak for the first time in a while. "Why did you let him win?"

"Let him win?" Hanzo repeated.

"I'm sure you knew how to make Gon surrender without killing him," Killua said. "Telling him that he wasn't suffering alone was enough to prove that. And given your skills."

"When I torture someone, I expect that person to hate me for the rest of their life," Hanzo said. "It's more effective and less stressful. When someone is in pain, their eyes show a gleam of hostility toward the one responsible for that pain. Even with extensive training, it is difficult to suppress that gleam of hate and rage. But there was no gleam in Gon's eyes. Can you believe it? I had just broken his arm. But his eyes had already forgotten about that."

Killua looked a bit caught off by this. Like…he had found a new door in the house he had always lived in.

"I guess you could say that he won me over," Hanzo explained. "If you need a reason, there you go."

Everyone's gaze was on Killua. He…Something was wrong with him. I couldn't tell what it was…but it was like watching a mirror…slowly crack.

"The second match is Kurapika versus Hisoka," Masta announced.

I watched Kurapika and Hisoka walk to the middle.

"Begin!" Masta announced.

Hisoka made the first move. I was impressed with Kurapika's ability to dodge him. I also felt Hisoka was just toying with him. They fought for what must have been an hour until Hisoka knocked Kurapika back. I thought he was going to finish him, but instead, Hisoka just whispered something to him. Whatever Hisoka told Kurapika froze him to the spot.

Hisoka walked away, waving his hand, "I lose."

I looked at the board. If I lost to Hanzo, I would fight Hisoka.

"Huh?" Masta grunted, confused about what had happened. He got over his shock and announced the next fight. It was against me, because I would fight back to back.

"Bodoro versus Costa, please step forward."

I met the old man in the middle.

"Begin!"

"I surrender," I told the old man.

The old man just blinked then walked away. Hanzo walked out, amused by the situation.

"Unlike Gon, there is some rage in your eyes. But where is it placed?" Hanzo asked.

"Hanzo versus Costa! Begin!" Masta announced.

Hanzo and I just stared at each other.

"You're not as exciting as Gon," Hanzo said. "Then again, you are already standing on your last leg. I saw that fight you were in. What was it called? A rotation? You killed four people in that fight. That's impressive for someone so small."

I pulled out my knife and started absentmindedly tossing it up and down in my right hand, being careful not to hurt myself. Hanzo immediately got serious. I tossed the knife over my shoulder and heard it stab into the ground.

"You don't have to be so tense. I am half dead, you know," I told him. "Then again, I doubt you know anything about the people of Fox Tail Cove. Telling you our secrets wouldn't be fun, so I think you should experience them for yourself."

A wicked smirk formed on my lips as I pulled out my other knife, "So, let's start."

I jumped toward Hanzo, then jumped out of the way, back to my other knife. The spot on the floor where the sun had been shining reflected perfectly into his eyes. As he was about to go down on his knees, I had a knife position at his knee and one under his chin.

"Yes," I said darkly. "Keep moving."

He froze as he looked at me. I took a step back, putting the knives away.

"Do you really think you can beat me without those?" Hanzo asked. "Because you're not as stubborn as your brother. That much is obvious."

"It's not a one way street," I told him.

I took off the long sleeved shirt I had been wearing the whole time. Under it was a tank top. Hanzo's eyes widened as he stared at me. Under the cuts and gashes were disgusting scars that were still healing from the fights I had been in since I was younger.

"Would you like to try and cause me pain?" I asked him. "Yes, you managed to cause damage, but there is a difference."

Hanzo chuckled, "After what happened to your brother, you still think you can beat me? You're a fool."

I held up three fingers, "It's a simple challenge from my island. It's called Three. You get three free hits. Weapons are allowed. I'm not allowed to block. If I stay down for more than ten seconds, I have to surrender the match. We continue this until one of us either surrenders because we can't take anymore or one of us is down for ten seconds. If you exceed your three hits, it's an automatic forfeit and you'll lose."

"Costa, you idiot!" Leorio yelled.

"Are there any other rules?" Hanzo asked.

"Usually death is allowed, so the surrendering thing is new, and you can't pin me down to force a surrender. The first move is yours."

He walked up to me and slammed his hand into the back of my neck. I fell to the ground as my entire body went numb, but I forced myself to get back to my feet. He punched me in the stomach and I stumbled back, clinging onto my stomach then got a hit in the back of the head.

At three seconds, I was back up. He went to hit me, but I jumped away.

"What happened to not blocking?" He asked.

"I told you three hits," I said with a glare. "I thought you could count."

Hanzo blinked while I smirked. "It's ok, your brain is just small. I'll let that one slide because I enjoy this game."

I walked up to him, looking him over. It was hard to tell if his outfit was legitimate or not, but it had to have weak points. I pulled my knives out and cut the back of his legs. It would make walking harder. Not standing. And he wouldn't be able to kick me as hard. I slammed my fist into his back.

He fell to his knees and just sat there. I blinked as I looked at him, "Something wrong?"

"What's wrong with you?" He managed to say.

"You're not enjoying this?" I asked with a frown. "I do this for fun on the weekends." I smiled, "I'm the island champion. People challenge me just to see if they can make me fall now."

He stared at me as he fell to his hands, "I surrender."

I picked up my shirt, "And that's what the half dead girl can do. You should fight me at full strength."

I walked out of the room, wishing Leorio and Killua luck on their fights. The moment I stepped outside, I collapsed. Thankfully, the ref that had taken Gon to the infirmary was coming back. He picked me up and I faded out of consciousness.


	21. Killua

When I woke up, I was in a room unknown to me. It was rather nice with the large bed I was in.

"For all the pain you endured, I'm surprised you woke up before Gon," someone said.

My attention was on the nurse. She gave me a kind smile. "Congratulations on passing the Hunter Exam. Next to you is your Hunter License. If you wish to leave, you can. Gon is across the hall."

I flinched when I tried to move my left arm and glared at the cast it was in. Reaching to the black leather book with my right arm, I flipped it open and found the Hunter License inside.

For a moment, I felt like I had accomplished something.

I closed the book and climbed out of the bed, the lack of use with my dominant arm becoming more of a burden than ever before. When I walked out, I saw Killua walking down the hall. There was blood on his clothes and on his face. I smiled at first, until I noticed his eyes. They were cruel…and empty.

My smile was gone when he walked by me, not seeing me at all. I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, "Killua?"

With a gasp, I jumped back, his sharp nails coming right at my neck. His attack when up, one of his sharp nails going up the center of my face, catching the right side of my chin and slashing all the way up across my nose to my left temple. I was lucky he had missed my eye.

His attacks continued and I shook my arm out of the sling, no longer caring that it was broken as I reached for my knives. With a quick dodge, I managed to kick him in the ribs, knocking the air out of his lungs. The attack had stunned him enough for me to tackle him to the ground.

He glared up at me as I held the knives in an X across his throat. "What's gotten into you? Don't you recognize me? Killua, it's me. Costa!"

He kicked me off and I landed on my broken arm, snapping it. I ignored it best I could. I made our fight continue. I knew dodging those sharp nails was a hazard to my life, but I managed to pin him again, stabbing my knives into his sleeves to keep him from stabbing me with his sharp nails.

I slapped him. "KILLUA!"

As the blood from my face dripped onto his face, he seemed to only get more frustrated that I was winning in the fight. I slammed my fist into his face, trying to bring him back.

Maybe violence wouldn't work.

That thought crossed my mind as I heard his shirt rip. I looked at his right arm as he reached to pull out the knife holding his left arm down rather than kill me.

I was desperate for him to come back.

My first kiss tasted like blood. The liquid irony taste was enough to make a lasting impression. I stared at his eyes, waiting for that life to come back. Ever so slowly, it started to return.

After a moment, Killua pulled back, "Costa, what are you doing?"

"Kissing you," I said with a smile. "What did you think I was doing?"

I pulled the knives out of the ground then held my left arm while grimacing.

"Why?" Killua asked quietly.

I looked at him, his face covered in my blood and someone else's.

"Why what?" I asked.

"Why did you fight so hard to help me?" He asked. "I tried to kill you."

I walked up to him and wiped the blood off his lips, "Because a friend is always worth saving. No matter who they are or what they've done. Where were you going?"

"Home," he said, defeat clear in his voice.

"You hate it there," I said. "Why are you going there?"

"It's where I belong," he said. "I'm an assassin, Costa. I don't deserve friends like you and Gon."

I almost punched him, but I refrained myself.

"Everyone deserves friends, Killua. You were fortunate enough to get Gon and just got stuck with me. You can go home, if you want. But, Gon and I will come after you. Or I will. It's your choice. But I will get you back."

"Don't try," Killua said. "They'll kill you."

"Then they can kill me," I told him. "Go home, Killua. Deal with your demons. But remember, we are coming. You will not be there long."

He gave me a long look then walked away.

Someone coughed. I turned and looked at Satotz. "Satotz-san," I greeted with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Just delivering Gon his license," the lavender haired examiner said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said with a smile. "But…what happened?"

"I plan on telling Gon the whole story," he said. "So why don't we wait until he wakes up?"

I nodded but he pointed to the room I had walked out of. "Get your arm looked at. I could hear your arm snap from down the hall."

I sighed and got the cast redone and my face had to be stitched together. Killua's nails were a lot sharper than I thought. When I walked into Gon's room, Satotz was finishing the story.

The guy with pins in his head, Gittarackur had actually been Killua's brother, Illumi. Apparently, he had used some sort of brainwashing technique on Killua and Killua had killed the old man I had surrendered to.

I quietly closed the door as Gon clutched the sheets in his hands. When the door clicked, Satotz and Gon's attention was on me.

The examiner stood up, congratulating Gon once again, and leaving the two of us. I walked up to him but he wouldn't look at me.

"Gon," I started, "I want you to think about what we've gone through."

"We haven't been through that much," Gon said.

"I just meant the Hunter Exam in general," I said. "Satotz said there were just over 400 applicants. That's a lot and there were 200 people between us, Gon. In Phase One, I searched for any sign of someone my age, but I'm small. There was no chance for me to find you. In Phase Two, I thought I had seen you, but I couldn't find you again. It was luck that brought us together at Trick Tower."

"Why didn't you tell me then?" He asked angrily.

"When I was told about you and Dad, I puked. I didn't eat for a week. I didn't speak to my family for a week. I took on any fight I could get. I couldn't handle it…I was pretty sure you couldn't either."

It was like a switch had flipped in Gon's mind. He understood why I had approached the situation the way I had. "Is that why you're all stitched up? Hanzo did that to you?"

I looked at my new, tighter cast. "No. Hanzo didn't do this…Killua did."

Gon's eyes widened, "What?"

I looked at him, "Whatever that Illumi did to him…Killua didn't recognize me. I tried to stop him because he had that…look. And when I tried, he tried to kill me. We had a long fight and I pinned him a couple of times." I blushed and looked away, "I…kissed Killua and that seemed to bring him back. He told me he was going home."

I looked at Gon, seriousness written all over my face, "We are going after him."

Gon nodded, "Yeah. We're going to save Killua, then I have to return Hisoka's badge. Then we'll find Dad."

~The End~


End file.
